Did you know that the independent candidate election process already existed in local government elections in 2016? Independents ran and received many votes, but not enough to make it onto councils as proportional representatives (PR). Just over a year ago, a landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court deemed sections of the electoral laws unconstitutional and ready for change. Section 15 of the Electoral Commission Act now makes it possible for an organisation or movement to participate in municipal elections without being registered as a political party. This momentous shift allows independents, not aligned to any political party, to run for office.
Under this provision, local community leaders can stand for election in various wards by registering as an alliance of independent candidates, to collectively have more seats on Council as PRs. Citizen-led organisations can not only win seats in municipal wards but also swell their PR numbers in municipalities as a whole; a giant step towards the dream of genuine, citizen-led government. The benefit of such a system is that the elected independent candidates are directly accountable to the communities who nominate them and not to party leadership. While you may be (understandably) sick of politics and politicians and considering not voting at all, rethink.
Voter Registration Weekend is from 31 July to 1 August 2021 when the IEC opens all polling stations in all wards across the towns and townships of Ngwathe from 08:00 to 17:00. Attend any convenient station, check and update your registration details or register if you haven’t already done so. When the polls open for local government elections on Wednesday, 27 October 2021, be sure you are informed, registered and ready to vote for the best candidate in your community.
