ISSUE 223 - FREE
10 MAY
2019
COMMUNITY NEWS. ORIGINAL - ACCURATE - FIRST
017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)
A fireworks display at Skyhill on Saturday, 4 May.
8 May: A turning point for South Africa? Election Day. The 8 May will be forever remembered in the hearts of South Africans as a historic day. Never before has so much been at stake as in this May election. The list of political parties is staggering. In Mpumalanga 28 parties will contest the provincial elections. There are 30 seats in the provincial legislature. With various political parties vying to snatch Mpumalanga province away from the ruling African National Congress (ANC). The fact that the ANC in Mpumalanga is basically led by a skeleton structure after failing dismally on numerous occasions - at least four times since the Nasrec conference that capitulated Mabuza to national government - to hold its provincial general council is testament to the turbulence the party is facing in the province.
In Govan Mbeki Municipality residents had to bear the brunt of the internal turmoil that faced the ANC over the past few years. Unsuccessful Mayors, seconded Municipal Managers and disgruntled councillors all bear testimony to the fact that all is not well in the ANC house. Independent political analyst, Lukhona Mnguni, said that this was proof that Mabuza’s departure from the province has opened up political competition within the party and that this could have serious consequences for the ANC in Mpumalanga. Mnguni says that the entry of a formation like the Forum for Services Delivery (F4SD) onto the national ballot paper poses an interesting twist for the ANC in Mpumalanga, as this formation had a good showing in some pockets of the province during the 2016 municipal elections.
“The entry of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and slight growth of the Democratic Alliance (DA) from 2009 to 2014 does indicate that this trend might continue and with the addition of the F4SD, the ANC could see its support weakening.” The problem for opposition parties in Mpumalanga is that the ANC has a very strong base to start from. From 2009 to 2014, the ANC’s support reduced from about 85 percent to 80 percent, showing that it still enjoyed a very strong base in the province. The dissatisfaction of the people with service delivery, or lack there of, issues, for example, will be weighed against their loyalty and support for the ANC in this province. How much progress the Democratic Alliance has made to convince people that the ANC is no longer able to render the services expected will only
be seen after all the counting has been done. The often radical views of the EFF and conservative views of the FF+ will also determine their successes at the voting stations. Voters have been bombarded with slogans calling for their support on Wednesday, 8 May. Some slogans asked for forgiveness by the ANC, others promised land such as the EFF and BLF. The Freedom Front Plus asked its members to “Hit back” and the Democratic Alliance asked for a #ONESAFORALL. The Bulletin would like to urge every one of its readers to use the opportunity to make their voices heard, or better still seen by voting. This country needs your vote. As Athol Trollip said, and quoted in last week’s edition of the Bulletin, “Don’t give up hope for SA”