LOOK: Community at Mistake Farm threatened, roads blocked, and trenches dug to prevent people from voting
DURBAN - THERE were disruptions to voting in the rural community of Mistake Farm, in Umzinto on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
Residents resorted to staying at home as they feared for their lives due to heightened tensions in the area. The community burnt items on the road and dug trenches to block access to voting stations.
Although voting stations opened at 7am, by 11.30am the area’s voting stations had still not been opened as Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) members feared to take up their posts.
The police were seen picking up stones and filling in trenches that had been dug to prevent people and vehicles from accessing a voting station in the area.
Elderly people in the area were threatened that their homes would be razed if they were seen approaching a voting station.
An elder who asked to remain anonymous said: “We want to go and vote, but when the elections are over we will be the ones left with the problem with our families.”
IFP Umdoni chairperson Sifiso Ntenza said tensions flared up in the area after councillor Reggie Lungisa Dlamini was nominated again as the preferred candidate for the ANC.
Situation at Mistake Farm in Umzinto. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/ckAZPevXj5
— Jayed-Leigh Paulse (@JayedLeigh) October 30, 2021
Situation at Mistake Farm in Umzinto. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/ckAZPevXj5
— Jayed-Leigh Paulse (@JayedLeigh) October 30, 2021
Ntenza said: “It is not clear what exactly the issues are but we know that the main issue is Dlamini and various allegations against him of corruption in the ward. The community has been saying since 2019 that they would not allow elections to take place in the area if Dlamini was nominated again as a candidate. We asked the IEC to ensure that there would be protection for voters.
“As a political party we are not happy that the ANC’s inability to manage their candidate is now affecting us as well. This is very painful, we put a lot of work and emphasis into encouraging people to vote,” said Ntenza.
ANC spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela confirmed that voting stations at iSulabasha, Mysieland and Mistake Farm had initially failed to open.
Ntombela said members of the public who were opposed to Dlamini being nominated as a councillor had dug up the road at Mistake Farm, but some determined voters were able to access voting stations and the issue had eventually been resolved.
“The issue is about service delivery issues the community feels were not attended to. As the ANC in the province we appeal for a calm and level-headed approach in dealing with these matters.
“Threatening people not to vote will not solve the problems at hand. We are happy that the IEC is still able to do it’s work regardless of these challenges,” said Ntombela.
Speaking to The Mercury, Dlamini confirmed that he and 13 members of his family had fled their homes and gone into hiding, fearing for their lives.
He vehemently denied being involved in any corruption and said that an attack on his home and an exchange of gunfire on Saturday between the protesters and the police had led him to flee the area.
“As we speak I am looking for a safe place to cast my vote. I am not corrupt. If they believe I am corrupt then they must vote me out. A councillor cannot influence who gets appointed for jobs, which are mostly temporary. There are three ballot papers available and people must be allowed to exercise their right to vote, and if it means that I am not re-elected, so be it.
“What I am against is people being denied the opportunity to decide what they want, and being threatened,” said Dlamini.
THE MERCURY