Johannesburg ANC contesting by-elections
2012-11-01 22:15
Johannesburg - The ANC is contesting by-elections in every province where previous councillors have been fired, resigned or died, the party's Johannesburg region said on Thursday.
"In Joburg, there is only one ward that is vacant and the organisation has decided to field a candidate to contest," regional secretary Dada Morero said in a statement.
"The councillor resigned and decided to relocate, a clear indication that she and her party never had the interests of people of the ward at heart."
The area being contested was Ward 58, which comprises Fordsburg, Mayfair, Mayfair West, Crown North, Homestead Park, Langlaagte, Pageview, Vrededorp, Jan Hofmeyer, Vredepark, Burgersdorp and Amalgam.
It was previously won by the Democratic Alliance.
The African National Congress' candidate for the ward was Muhammad Cajee, an industrial psychologist.
"When he assumes his position in the council, his task will be ensure unity and cohesion of the people of ward 58," said Morero.
"He will also have to ensure that the multi-racial, multi-class and multi-nationals in the ward co-exist like brothers and sisters without discrimination."
Morero said the ANC's previous loss in the ward was not because of the strength of the DA.
"[It was] our own lack of focus on the day of the elections. We lost all wards in Zone 6, Greater Sophiatown, a zone [where] we previously had three councillors."
He said regional chairperson and Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau had revived the party's campaign in the region.
"It is for that reason we can boldly say the ANC will win this ward with [an] overwhelming margin."
National, provincial, regional and zone leaders had been deployed to explain the party's position to its members.
"We have committed ourselves to lay a solid foundation for the generations to come to ensure that when we reach the second centenary of the ANC, none among the people of South Africa and Joburg in particular can complain about a house, road, pothole, electricity, water, bad attitude from government employees, and that no one sleeps without anything to eat," said Morero.
- SAPA
