The men and women who are ready to represent the residents of Stellenbosch for the next four years have raised there hands.

Eighteen political parties have registered to contest for the seats in Stellenbosch in the upcoming Local Government Election (LGE) on Wednesday 4 November.

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) 3 456  3245 voters in the province have a wide field of candidates to choose from. In the Western Cape 416 wards are being contested in 25 municipalities.

“A total of 106 political parties are competing, alongside 33 independent candidates. Of the 14  349 candidates, 4  502 are contesting the 452 proportional representation (PR) seats, while 9  847 are contesting the 416 ward seats,” the IEC said in a statement.

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Know the parties

In the City of Oaks the parties vying for seats in the municipal council are the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), African Independent Congress (AIC), African National Congress (ANC), African Transformation Movement (ATM), Afrika Mayibuye Movement, Alliance of Citizens for Change, Cape Independence Party (CapeXit), Democratic Alliance (DA), Democratic New Civic Association, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Good, National Coloured Congress, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, Patriotic Alliance (PA), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), South African Communist Party, Umkhonto Wesizwe, and Freedom Front Plus (FF+).

Of the 18 competing parties the DA, ANC, EFF, Good, ACDP, PA, PDM, and the FF+ have a presence in the current council.

Locally campaigning is in full swing with door-to-door engagements and various party meetings being held from Klapmuts to Jamestown.

Most parties have also released their manifestos with party promises being made to would-be voters. Many a current councillor is again on the ballot for the upcoming LGE but there are also a few “returning” councillors who have now found a new home.

Returning faces

Among these are former DA councillors Siegfried Schäfer and former executive deputy mayor Mynard Slabbert. Both have joined councillor JC MacFarlane at the FF+. Slabbert officially resigned from the DA last month.

Part of the IEC’s candidate nomination and verification process identifies candidates who have not complied with Commissions rules and regulations will not be taking part in the LGE.

Provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse said the scale of candidates’ participation reflects the importance of LGE.

“This shows South Africans want to actively participate in decisions that affect them. Meanwhile, the IEC will continue with its preparations to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and credible manner,” Hendrickse said.

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