Photo: Dean Macpherson / Twitter
What a coup: ANC Deputy Mayor joins DA – on the eve of Local Elections!
Now, this is quite a transfer. A well-known ANC figure has defected to the DA, right on the eve of South Africa’s Local Elections.
Photo: Dean Macpherson / Twitter
It’s a move perhaps more suited to Transfer Deadline Day than the South African political scene – but the DA have snagged themselves a high-ranking ANC defector, just hours before our Local Elections get underway.
ANC Deputy Mayor leaves party – to join DA!
At 7:00 on Monday 1 November, the polls will open for South Africans, who are set to elect local ward councillors and district representatives alike. SA citizens will have until 21:00 that evening to register their votes, giving everyone a 14-hour window to express their democratic rights – although, leaving it until the last minute isn’t really encouraged.
And yet, Nompumelelo Buthelezi has done exactly that. The ANC Deputy Mayor of the uMngeni Municipality in KZN decided to quit the ruling party, choosing to join the DA instead. The Blues are convinced they can get the 9% swing of votes they need in the region to oust the ANC, and this sensational switch is likely to aid their cause.
“Motivated by the DA’s local manifesto and our track record in local government the Deputy Mayor has made the decision to join the DA in the uMngeni Municipality. The DA is only 9% away from winning this municipality.”
Chris Pappas
Residents of uMngeni are tired of 27 years of false promises and shattered dreams.
— DA KZN (@DA_KZN) October 31, 2021
On the 1st of November the DA is ready to take control of the uMngeni Municipality and bring real hope and real change.#VoteDA
Transfer shocker on ‘Elections Eve’
Chris Pappas, the DA’s hopeful for Mayor in uMngeni, has celebrated the acquisition of Buthelezi to the team. He says that the public official is leading by example, showing locals that they don’t need to be tied to one political party forever:
“The DA is determined to bring real change to the people of the uMngeni municipality. Corruption, poor service delivery, and unemployment are destroying the lives and livelihoods of the residents of the KZN Midlands. The DA has a plan and a proven track record to turn things around and get things done.”
“The decision of the deputy mayor to join the DA is an example to people that you do not have to be in an abusive relationship with one political party. You have the power to change your life through the ballot box. Residents of uMngeni are tired of 27 years of false promises and shattered dreams.”
Chris Pappas
