Durban — Twenty DA members have applied to fill a Public Relations seat in the eThekwini Municipality.
The seat was left vacant after the DA deputy caucus leader Mzamo Billy went to the National Assembly after the May 29 general elections, said KwaZulu-Natal DA chairperson Dean Macpherson.
The process was at the final stages and DA members have gone through their internal processes, he said.
“We are hoping to fill the PR vacancy soon while the balance of vacancies will be filled through by-elections,” said Macpherson.
Among the applicants was the party’s deputy leader in the province, Sithembiso Ngema, who did not make it back to the provincial legislature. Ngema confirmed that he had applied.
Unlike other parties, the DA process of appointing councillors is that members apply and get interviewed before being appointed. In other political parties, to be deemed a candidate, one must be nominated by his or her branch and finally endorsed by ordinary community members within the ward.
There are currently five seats up for grabs in the council and four of them will be filled through by-elections on September 11.
Ward 35 in Durban North was left vacant by Nicole Bollman who went to the National Assembly with Billy while ward 36 became vacant after councillor Shontel De Boer from Umgeni Park went to the provincial legislature.
Sakhile Mngadi from Glenwood (ward 31) also joined the provincial legislature leaving his ward up for grabs. Ward 34, which included Redhill and areas on the north of Durban, became vacant after the resignation of councillor Bobby Maharaj. Meanwhile, the campaign for by-elections in these wards and others elsewhere in the province kicked off at the weekend with parties fielding its top leadership during the registration drive by the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
Francois Rodgers, DA KZN provincial leader, said he was encouraged by the strong turnout during the registration period ahead of the upcoming by-election.
Rodgers visited various eThekwini wards drumming up support and encouraging communities to register or check whether their names still appeared where they had last voted.
Rodgers vowed to retain all DA wards and perhaps take others from other political parties to ensure that residents continue to have access to the ongoing delivery of services.
Apart from eThekwini, the DA also has a vacant seat in the KwaDukuza municipality on the north coast as well as in Umdoni municipality on the south coast.
Both wards became available after councillors took up positions in national and provincial structures.
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