Will PE pull off a 'Cape Town' ?

Vox Populi Vox Dei

Vox Populi Vox Dei

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Source: The Times

Port Elizabeth might just be the new Cape Town. Like its older sister city down the coast, Port Elizabeth has unusual weather patterns and an identifiable coastline. The only thing that is missing is a table-shaped mountain.

More similarities between the two cities on the political front are emerging as the country gears up for the May 18 local government elections.

In 2006, a coalition of opposition parties wrested control of Cape Town from the ANC and installed the Democratic Alliance's Helen Zille as mayor.

Next month's local government elections could see a similar shift in power in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, where the ANC faces the real danger of failing to win the 50% of votes - plus a single vote - it needs to continue running the Friendly City.

Although attention has been focused on the titanic battle for Cape Town between DA mayoral candidate Patricia de Lille and the ANC's Tony Ehrenreich, the real race to watch this year is the one in the Eastern Cape.

Having won the city with a comfortable 65% of the votes in 2006, the ANC was rattled by a 15% decline in support during the 2009 national election.

Traditional ANC supporters turned to the breakaway party, the Congress of the People, which scored 17% of the votes in Port Elizabeth.

The DA's fortunes in the area also improved to 28% of the vote.

Although COPE's leadership squabbles have led many to discount its national aspirations, its leaders believe it will still do well in Port Elizabeth, largely because of unhappiness at the way the ANC has run the council.

The appointment of COPE MP and founder member Smuts Ngonyama as its mayoral candidate is proof that the party is taking its campaign for the metro seriously.

Cosatu's Zwelinzima Vavi is so concerned about the DA-COPE threat that he has publicly spoken about the irony of a metro council named after Nelson Mandela being run by the DA.

Sensing trouble, the ANC is pulling out all the stops in a bid to prevent its support base shrinking any further this year.

President Jacob Zuma, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and youth league leader Julius Malema are some of the big guns deployed in a bid to turn the tide.

But it has not been easy. During their separate visits to the city, Zuma and Malema were confronted by residents who complained about poor service delivery, housing shortages and the ANC's election candidates' list, which, they said, excluded their preferred candidates.

On his trip, Mantashe spent much of Friday putting out fires during a closed meeting with regional party leaders and other stakeholders.

Many of the ANC's woes in the metro are linked to the battle - at provincial and national level - for control of the ANC.

The pro-Zuma group that rose to power in the Eastern Cape after the ousting of then ANC president Thabo Mbeki in Polokwane in 2007 has split into two factions.

The original pro-Zuma group took control of the province in late 2008 and quickly wielded the axe, "recalling" mayor Nondumiso Mapasa and replacing her with Cosatu's Zanoxolo Wayile.

But then came the split between SACP treasurer Phumulo Masualle - who had initially led the pro-Zuma group in the Eastern Cape - and former ally Mcebisi Jonas.

The ruling party also enters the May 18 elections seriously weakened by allegations of corruption against its regional leaders.

A forensic audit commissioned by the Eastern Cape's Department of Local Government found that Nceba Faku, the ANC regional chairman - who was also mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay for six years from 1995 - allegedly entered into questionable deals while in office.

And a company owned by Unathi Faku, Nceba's wife, allegedly made millions by acting as middleman in a multimillion-rand project to install solar geysers in houses in New Brighton.

The DA has wasted no time capitalising on the ANC's weaknesses. Zille and De Lille spent time canvassing votes in the area two weeks ago - contrasting Port Elizabeth's woes with the successes of Cape Town under DA management.

This week, it was the turn of the opposition party's rising star, national spokesman Lindiwe Mazibuko, to visit the city.

She conducted a door-to-door campaign in the ANC's traditional township stronghold of New Brighton's Red Location.

Before her entourage left the area, three people had joined the DA on the spot.

How ironic, given its rich history with the ANC, that this city is giving the ruling party such sleepless nights.
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It will definitely be a close run contest. Neither the ANC nor the DA will get 50% (+ 1 vote) and they will have to form a coalition with the other parties and independents.

The traditional "White" wards are mostly DA strongholds so the real battle will be for the Northern Areas (50/50) and the predominantly "Black" wards (ANC strongholds).

The current political climate in iBhayi is very negative towards the ruling party but this does not mean that the disillusioned electorate will vote for the opposition. There has also been plenty of dissatisfaction about the nomination process and the (voting) ward members are not happy with the ANC's final list.

Many ANC members/voters have expressed their intent to boycott or spoil their ballot and this plays into the hands of COPE (yes, better believe it!).
 
Hope so. I think that is what PE needs.
 
If the residents of chetty, want to keep hearing empty promises after 17 years, then its their bad luck for making bad decisions. I really hope, for everybodys sake, especially the young children walking to schools (held in a car boot), that the ruling party gets expelled
 
After PE , hopefully East London :)

Tired of wasting my hard earned money on mayors who go overseas and blow it all and live in luxury.
 
Hemps said:
After PE , hopefully East London :)

Tired of wasting my hard earned money on mayors who go overseas and blow it all and live in luxury.
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God, I hope so as well :o But this is a Cope stronghold/opposition (so I'm told) so the DA has very little chance, I'm afraid...
 
I'm personally hoping the ANC loses a bit of its hold on the major metro's in SA.. and maybe gets a bit of a wake up call that it needs to actually DO some work to keep its position.
 
Cosatu's Zwelinzima Vavi is so concerned about the DA-COPE threat that he has publicly spoken about the irony of a metro council named after Nelson Mandela being run by the DA.
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what irony? :confused:

"Nelson Mandela" is a private property of the anc?
 
Two of the larger towns in the North West, namely Rustenburg and Potchefstroom are apparently also very likely to have DA victories on 18 May.
 
PE really needs to get rid of the ANC.
The corruption is unbelievable in the municipality.
Lets hope the DA can win or forma coalition that will bring some change.
 
blunomore said:
Two of the larger towns in the North West, namely Rustenburg and Potchefstroom are apparently also very likely to have DA victories on 18 May.
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Source for this ?

My current gf is studying at Pukke and from what I can gather the students there have no interest in voting.
 
You think so? The EC? I thought it would never happen almost as likely as Limpopo.

Would surprise me.
 
You guys should see the corruption in the Durban (eThekwini) municipality.... it truly jaw dropping. Seriously blatant stuff, our Municipality manager (Mke Sutcliffe) bought a place in the newly re-developed harbour area on the point. And then promptly declares the place a rates free area ?!?! Go figure.... and thats just a tiny bit of what he and his gang have stolen from the Greater Durban Municipality rate payers.... I should upload the doc I received with all the stuff they have been up to....

Here:

Agenda for April 01 2011.pdf - 324.6 Kb
 
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This is how desperate the ANC are becoming in PE... want a job?

ANC 'promises municipal jobs'
20 April 2011
Rochelle de Kock [email protected]

IN a desperate bid to hold on to power in Nelson Mandela Bay, ANC leaders in the city yesterday pleaded with councillors to bolster the party’s campaign in exchange for jobs after the May 18 election.

Three ANC councillors said they had been summoned to Standard House, the ANC’s regional headquarters, yesterday by ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and regional chairman Nceba Faku, who complained of the “slow pace” of the party’s campaign.

Some councillors left off candidate lists for re-election were apparently promised administrative jobs in the municipality from July 1.

Councillors received SMSes from Standard House stating: “The ANC is a caring organisation. Submit your cv’s and people will start as soon as 1 July. Condition, be visible thruout the campaign u will be rewarded.”

A councillor, who did not want to be named, said: “They want people to campaign and told us we will be employed, which I know is a lie; they just want us to work on their behalf. They know some councillors have cars, so they want us to brand them. They are crazy, man.”

Two other councillors also confirmed the allegations.

ANC regional secretary Zandisile Qupe said while there had been a meeting yesterday, they had not promised anyone jobs. “We don’t employ as the ANC, we deploy cadres to political positions.

“We can’t deploy people to the municipality. There is a process that has to be followed, and if ANC members get employment they have a right to get it. We won’t be so reckless as to tell councillors that information in a meeting, especially since we know there are some who like to talk to the media.”
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http://www.peherald.com/news/article/1169
 
Yip very sad! That is the way the ANC operates though...

I attended an "Equal Education" talk a while ago and these activists have stated that the ANC have told people that if they participate in these marches, the money these kids receive from government will disappear...not that it has already through corruption, fraud etc
 
I think the DA would do PE quite a lot of good. I'm hoping for the best. Seeing what they've done in CT.
 
Chris said:
Yip very sad! That is the way the ANC operates though...

I attended an "Equal Education" talk a while ago and these activists have stated that the ANC have told people that if they participate in these marches, the money these kids receive from government will disappear...not that it has already through corruption, fraud etc
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I would love to see how the ANC enforces the Municipal Systems Amendment Bill. See here for a loooong quote... http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthr...ikes-planned?p=5980328&viewfull=1#post5980328
 
The way I see it, the DA won't win. What they need is for the UDM and or COPE to somehow pull enough votes away from the ANC. A DA led coalition could work, but I don't see the DA getting 50% +1 on their own. Maybe if COPE wasn't falling apart this would be more likely. However, COPE is a joke at the moment, and the UDM has been losing support for years.
 
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