THEY may be on opposite sides of the political spectrum but that does not mean they disagree when it comes to fixing problems in Port Alfred's most affluent suburb.
Traditionally an uncontested DA stronghold, estate agent Mzoli Luzipo is hoping he can win over the majority of the 4042 mainly white registered voters in today's municipal by-election for the ANC to win Ward 10 – and another crucial seat on the Ndlambe council.
"I am very excited, even though the ANC has never contested Ward 10 before I am confident people will vote for me," Luzipo said yesterday.
But confident the ANC would not unseat the DA in Ward 10, Ndlambe opposition chief whip and by-election candidate Raymond Schenk said even though they were sure they would win, they were not being complacent when it came to canvassing voters.
"We take every election very seriously, even if there is no candidate."
Issues identified by both men in interviews yesterday revealed they had similar ideas when it came to tackling problems in their ward.
Infrastructure problems – including roads and sewerage – job creation and bad debt from people not paying municipal rates were common key issues that needed to be tackled.
The Port Alfred Ward 10 by-election is one of four taking place in the Eastern Cape today – with two in Port Elizabeth and one in Port St Johns.
The Port Alfred by-election came about after the DA's Ross Purdon moved up the political ladder to take up a post in the provincial legislature in Bhisho where he is DA shadow MEC for sports, recreation, arts and culture.
"I moved to Kleinemonde to retire after farming but could not sit on my stoep and drink coffee watching the community deteriorate around us," Schenk said. -David Macgregor