Parties included the ANC (Mzwandile Masina), Al-Jama-Ah (Mustapha Lawrence Mkhonza), DA (Ghaleb Cachalia), EFF (Lindiwe Dzimba) and the Patriotic Alliance (Dino Peterson).
Issues such as service delivery, labour relations, funding, corruption, housing and public transport were raised, and each candidate was given an opportunity to answer.
What the ANC said:
The ANC urged the public to measure their performance against their 2009 manifesto.
The party highlighted their future plans, which included providing more housing in poor communities.
This would also include providing electricity, water and sanitation and other basic needs.
Unemployment would be curbed through a variety of youth programmes that would decrease the percentage of unemployed youth.
What Al-Jama-Ah said:
Al-Jama-ah looked into expanding its footprint in Gauteng, as it is based in Cape Town.
“Ekurhuleni will be our entry point into Gauteng; we want South Africa to benefit from its riches,” said Lawrence Mkhonza.
The aim is for the party to unite South Africans and the Muslim community at large.
Their plans include making land available for a university to be built in Ekurhuleni.
What the DA said:
They emphasised how well they had performed in the Western Cape as the ruling party and how they were planning to run Ekurhuleni in the same manner.
“The DA is the only party that holds itself accountable and responsible for everything the party does,” said Cachalia.
He said the DA has a good track record of delivery.
They plan to deal with the legacy of apartheid, which the ANC failed to do, according to the party.
What the EFF said:
The EFF was adamant that it would not take a romantic approach to politics.
“Citizens can no longer be taken for granted and the government needs to stop stealing from its people,” said Dzimba.
They want to root out corruption and create employment opportunities for the youth.
What the Patriotic Alliance said:
Bringing housing and jobs to Ekurhuleni is the main focus.
The party also wants to grow economically and do what the ANC had promised to do.
Peterson said: “The ANC and the DA are our big brothers in politics and they have shown us how not to run a country.”
Also read: Elections 2016: Special vote – do you qualify?
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