DA names three more mayoral candidates for Eastern Cape municipalities

The DA in the Eastern Cape has announced its mayoral candidates for three municipalities the party says it can win.

Two weeks ago, the DA announced that Nqaba Bhanga, now still in hospital following a car crash in which two people died, as its candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay.

On Monday, DA provincial chair Andrew Whitfield announced mayoral candidates for the Kouga, Inxuba Yethemba and Dr Beyers Naude municipalities.

The party, which governs in Kouga, has placed its faith in incumbent Kouga mayor Horatio Hendricks to garner the majority of votes when residents elect new leaders between October 27 and November 1.

Former Baviaans mayor Ewald Loock was announced as the Dr Beyers Naude candidate while Monde Desha will hope to wear the mayoral chain in the Inxuba Yethemba municipality after the municipal polls.

Whitfield said the DA was ready to retain control of the Kouga local authority. 

“We also believe we can win outright majorities in Inxuba Yethemba and Dr Beyers Naude as a result of the complete neglect by the ANC and the work we have done over many years in those municipalities.

“Towns like Cradock and Graaff-Reinet used to be the pride of the rural Eastern Cape, but decades under an ANC government have seen these towns reduced to rubble and stripped of their former glory,” he said.

“Residents have become accustomed to raw sewage flowing in the streets, massive potholes, rubbish not being collected, and constant water and electricity outages.

“The lack of service delivery has destroyed the local economy and unemployment has skyrocketed.”

“We have spent a year on our very thorough candidate selection process and we are confident our mayoral candidates are the right people to get things done.”

Accepting his nomination, Hendricks said the DA-led administration had made steady progress to entrench a system of good governance in Kouga, and to root out systemic corruption and maladministration.

“Dealing with historical bulk infrastructure such as roads, water, sanitation and electricity has been our biggest challenge, but we have successfully swung the tide in our favour.

“New housing developments, ever-improving roads, providing electricity to the poor, improved services and being a responsive government have been the hallmarks of change and restoring hope to our people.

“We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it together, and we will continue to do so because the DA gets things done.”

Desha said his vision for Inxuba Yethemba was to bring change and provide a DA-majority government that people could trust.

“A DA government in Inxuba Yethemba will focus on turning around the municipality’s finances, delivering quality basic services, appointing the right people to do the right jobs and addressing unemployment.”

Loock said as a result of what he termed the inept governance of the ANC, Dr Beyers Naude was in financial ruin, basic service delivery was not up to standard and unemployment was high.

“For five years, the ANC spoke about consequences for underperforming officials.

“It is now time for change and action,” he said.

HeraldLIVE