United Front to contest 40 wards in Bay

Organisation champions pro-worker policy

PREVIOUSLY touted as a potential game changer and threat to the ANC’s power base in Nelson Mandela Bay, the United Front (UF) said yesterday it would contest 40 of the 60 wards in the city at the local government elections in August.

At best, the organisation hoped to win 25 wards, its provincial spokesman, Mziyanda Twani, said.

The announcement follows weekend reports – later rejected by the UF – that the DA was courting some of its leaders to possibly form a coalition government to rule the metro after the elections.

The UF, led by among others former ANC mayor Zanoxolo Wayile, said it had decided not to contest the poll on a national scale, but to target municipalities where it was most active, five of them in the Eastern Cape.

They include the Buffalo City Metro and the Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi municipalities.

Yesterday, Wayile said the national leadership would support its affiliates in these municipalities, as long as they were in line with the UF’s pro-worker policies.

Regional secretary Mkhuseli Mtsila said they would contest 40 of the Bay’s 60 wards.

The organisation has yet to announce its mayoral candidate, saying it is mulling over five possibilities.

Twani said they had begun a search for suitable councillor candidates five months ago.

The final candidates would be made to sign a pledge, which states among others, that should they be elected, they must give up a portion of their monthly salary to be invested in community projects.