The City of Cape Town’s Ward 38 is a stronghold of the ANC, but the DA and Good party were hoping for a miracle as they campaigned hard in the area days before Wednesday’s by-election. Party leaders John Steenhuisen and Patricia de Lille, respectively, were on the streets, trying to muster up support for their candidates.

For the ANC, deputy president hopeful and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and NEC member Bheki Cele were campaigning in the area on Sunday.  

Read more in Daily Maverick: “ANC TOP 6 — see the branch nominations breakdown with our interactive graphic” 

At all seven voting stations, the ANC had more supporters, made more noise and was the most vibrant, confident that it would retain the ward. The by-election was necessitated by the death of the previous councillor.  

Brett Herron of the Good party (third from left) outside a voting station at John Pama primary in Nyanga. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

Despite a low voter turnout of 38.4% in the 2021 local government elections, the ANC recorded a convincing 75.19% victory followed by the EFF with 9.42%.

The ward has streets, formal houses and a number of shacks. 

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis walked the streets, challenging the media to find a single pothole in the ward. He was joined by senior party members JP Smith, Malusi Booi, Dan Plato and the party’s chief whip in the National Assembly, Siviwe Gwarube.

The Good party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, was also campaigning in the area, while the EFF sent in former secretary-general Godrich Gardee.

Residents’ wish list

“We want houses,” said  Siyabonga Ngconjana, a resident. “We want to stop using the bucket system and want our children to get educated. We also want smart parks for the children so they can play in a safe environment.”

Zingisile Dalasile, member of the PAC, outside a voting station in Nyanga on Wednesday.(Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

He noted that four children died in a sinkhole in 2021 while playing close to the main road.

Nosisa Nquma hopes her vote will bring down crime in the area.

“Too many violent crimes are happening here. It is not a good place to raise a child. I hope that we will see more police visibility, just like they are seen now in the voting stations. As a woman, I want to walk freely in the streets.”  

Musician Loyiso Gonya wants music and arts to be recognised by the next councillor. 

“No one speaks about arts here,” he said. “I listened to the manifestos and I had hoped young people would be put at the centre, but everyone is focusing on houses, drains and other stuff. I am not saying they are not important, but include us.”

Police provide security for the by-election at Hlazo Mini hall in Nyanga.(Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

The latest quarterly crime statistics, released on the same day as the by-election by Police Minister Bheki Cele, show that Nyanga is among the  10 SA police stations with the most reported murders. Nyanga also reported the most contact crimes in SA from July to September 2022.

The candidates 

The by-election will be contested by Masiza Yengwa, an independent, Sakhele Fezekile Kula of the Africa Restoration Alliance (ARA), Suzanne Zumana of the ANC, Siyamthemba Sydney Ndlezana of the DA, Tshepo Phillip Motlhabane of the EFF, Lulama Benge of Good, Vuyani Nelson Skolpati of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) and Nceba Godfrey Tyobeka of the United Democratic Movement (UDM).

ANC candidate Zumana is a former personal assistant of the councillor who died. She was confident the party would retain the ward. 

Voters outside a voting station at Hlazo Mini hall in Nyanga. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

“I am retaining this ward with 100%,” she said. “I have my own plans for the ward but I will not deviate from the plans the previous councillor had. People in this ward want jobs and houses. There is also sewage in some streets that need to be attended to.”

The DA’s Ndlezana said that residents of the ward were unable to access the office of the councillor.

“People also want transparency, they need to know what happens to the ward allocation budget. I am not promising people jobs, but I promise to return to them after being voted in and listen to what they need and find ways to resolve the issues,” said Ndlezana.

Independent candidate Yengwa is a former ANC member who served in the South African National Civic Organisation for many years.

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“I realised that there is no progress in this ward,” he said. “People were meant to get houses, but the project cannot move forward due to the land being occupied. Ward allocations budgets are not spent on improving the lives of people from this ward and I want to change that.” 

Members of political parties, the ANC, EFF, DA and Good dance and sing outside a voting station in Nyanga. (Photo: Xabiso Mkhabela)

Benge of the Good party, at 35 years of age, is the youngest candidate. He grew up in Nyanga. He said there are many challenges in the ward, starting with crime. 

“There are no parks for children, the infrastructure is collapsing, hotels need to be upgraded. The previous councillor only spent 5% of his budget.” 

The PAC’s Skolpati said many residents of the ward were unemployed and hungry.

“People were promised soup kitchens, but that is not happening. The high crime rate in the area is unacceptable. Children that are addicted to drugs, those children need skills instead of the R350 from the government.”

The UDM’s Tyobeka was standing next to a smelly drain on Ntsikelelo Sokhupha Street. Metres away were stinking bags of garbage.

“These are the issues I want to fix,” he said. “The ANC has ruined this ward because they have politicised everything. The ward committee is full of ANC members; community facilities are only accessible to their supporters while the rest of us are given a hard time.” DM

Update on Thursday morning: The ANC has taken a knock in Nyanga (as well as rural Mpumalanga). Read the report here by Daily Maverick elections analyst Wayne Sussman.