ANC hopes to increase majority

THE ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay will know today whether its decision to expel Uitenhage councillor Andile Gqabi had the support of residents as thousands came out to vote yesterday in a by- election that will, to an extent, indicate the party's support in the troubled town.

While several youngsters said they supported independent candidate Gqabi to become their Ward 42 councillor, older voters said they would remain loyal to the ANC in the hope that one day they too would receive RDP houses and other services.

The Molly Blackburn High School polling station in Ward 42 resembled a taxi rank as political parties ferried voters to and from the station to cast their ballots.

Of the 18534 registered voters in wards 42 and 46, 4607 had cast their votes by 4pm. Polling stations closed at 9pm.

While leaders from different parties prowled the stations, ushering voters in, the ANC, UDM and COPE had taxis taking people to the stations as well as cars driving around KwaNobuhle with loadhailers telling residents to go and vote.

Through a loudhailer, Gqabi's supporters shouted: "They are the ones who gave us Gqabi. Let us show them we still want Gqabi. Come out in numbers and vote for Andile Gqabi. Rule Gqabi rule."

The by-elections were held after Gqabi was booted out of the ANC in August and Ward 46 councillor Lucky Vumazonke died in the same month.

Gqabi was fired after he refused to resign following a national investigation which found that his election as the ANC's candidate for the 2011 election was flawed.

Throughout the campaign process leading to yesterday's byelection, Gqabi's supporters said their wrath would be felt at the polls as they claimed the ANC had forced its candidate, Mazwi Mini, on them.

Gqabi supporter Miranda Plaatjies, 32, said: "Gqabi was an accessible councillor who listened to residents' problems. I voted for him because he is a people's person, unlike the person [Mini] they are giving us."

However, ANC supporters said they wanted the party to remain at the helm in the ward.

Agnes Rooi, 67, said: "When I started voting in 1994, I voted for the ANC and I will vote for it until I die. There is no other party or person I can trust with my vote."

For the ANC, councillors travelled between the seven polling stations.

ANC councillor Balu Naran said: "This is our ward [Ward 42] and we'll take it with a bigger margin than before. I am convinced of that. It seems Gqabi has more volunteers than voters."

DA provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya, MPLs Edmund van Vuuren and Marshall von Bochenroeder, and Bay caucus leader Retief Odendaal supported the party's Ward 46 candidate, Alvezo Fortuin.

DA councillor Jannie Lindoor supported the party's candidate in Ward 42, Nomakazi Cobo.

Mvenya said they had focused their energy on the diverse Ward 46, which includes parts of De Mist and KwaNobuhle.

"We are hopeful we will perform well in this ward. We just put up our branding [in Ward 42] to test the waters for 2016 when we take over the metro."

Bay Electoral Commission spokesman Crosby Bacela said he was happy with how the election went.

The results will be announced today. - Mkhululi Ndamase