This in advance of the 2016 Municipal Elections which are scheduled for a day still to be set between 18 May and 16 August. The process, which started slowly on both days, was said by political party officials to have picked up in the afternoon. Proportional representative councillor for the Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadrack Mkhonto said the turnout was fair but could have been better. He said stations that seemed busy were Skeen Primary School, Kwa Bhekilanga Secondary School and Tsutsumani Tent.
He added that the exercise was also generally incident free but said he was worried that tension, which had been reported at some stations, especially Altrec Sports Complex, could escalate at a later stage.
“They reflect political differences which could remain as simmering tensions that need to be dealt with through democracy education before the elections,” he said.
ANC councillor Lilian Kekana said the registration process was relatively incident free but the turnout was low. She expressed concern that the numbers could be even lower after many people who had moved into her ward, Ward 109, were turned away by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials.
“The officials seemed not to know how to deal with registering those migrating into the ward after being relocated to the transit camps in the ward and those affected by the re-demarcation of the voting district,” Kekana said.
She said this concern would be reported to her party and the IEC for investigation and resolution before the elections.
