The charisma and charm of the Democratic Alliance has won over the people of Tongaat and Verulam after voting them back into power for a number of wards in the area fuelling the “blue train” north of eThekwini.
After three days of voting, special votes on 30 and 31 October and 1 November for the rest of the nation, as of 2pm yesterday afternoon there were clear indications that a number of DA councillors had retained their status after coming out victorious from the Local Government Elections. Out of seven wards, combined, the DA had claimed wards 106, 61 and 58. The African National Congress (ANC) had confirmed retaining Ward 59, with Nkosiyesizwe Mhlongo taking over the reigns from Councillor Bongani Majola. “I am very happy that the people of Ward 59 decided to continue trusting us as a party to serve and work for them. This means our door-to-door campaigning and listening to the people did not go to waste. Although some had indicated that they would not be voting, we encouraged them not to miss out on this critical opportunity of making a difference in how their ward and municipality is run,” Mhlongo said. Ward 106 was retained by Councillor Johnson Chetty of the DA who said he was pleased with the result. “I am humbled and honoured that I’ve been re-elected. It took five years of dedication and hard work for the people to renew their confidence in me. I look forward to serving the people.” Cllr Chetty is hoping that the party will soon be able to change the mindset of the municipality to let councillors have more control in the running of their wards. “As the DA we have retained all our wards in Phoenix, Verulam and Tongaat. This shows there is a lot of confidence in the party brand. The people see us as a better alternative to the ruling party.”
Ward 61 was also retained by the DA and Councillor Dolly Munien. After a satisfying landslide victory, Cllr Munien said: “The residents have spoken and chose me to remain as the councillor. During the build-up to the election, my ward experienced countless water and electricity issues. I did not have much time to campaign but the community knows me and how hard we work. I am happy to assist the community for another term.” Although not having officially won Ward 58 by the time of publication, the numbers suggested that Cllr Geoff Pullan of the DA is in the lead. A confident Cllr Pullan said it was looking likely that he will once agin be serving the people of Ward 58 for the next five years. “It would be a delightful victory. People realise that what we do is right. They see that we are not a corrupt party and put their confidence in us.” Cllr Pullan said once he officially retains the ward there will be a lot more work to do. “I want to attract investments and create more and better job opportunities. We also need to cut out fruitless expenditure and develop industrial land and infrastructure.
Contact numbers for your councillors:
Ward 58: Mount Moreland, La Mercy, Tongaat Beach, Westbrook, Mitchell Village, Flamingo Heights, King Shaka Airport, Umdloti
Councillor Geoff Pullan: 083-695-9190
Ward 59: Buffelsdraai, Trenance Park, Osindisweni, Ogunjini, Amotana, Oakford, Ndwedwe
Councillor Nkosiyezwe Mhlongo: 065-010-0891
Ward 61: Emona, Hambanathi Extension,
Buffels Kloof, Belvedere, Buffelsdale, Buffels Kloof, Flamingo Heights, Edmundsaberry, Umbhayi, Nqabeni No2 Area
Councillor Dolly Munien: 073-656-8682
Ward 106: Dawncrest, Brindhaven, Cordoba, Mountview, Temple Vally, Riyadh, Blackburn, Waterloo
Councillor Johnson Chetty: 083-788-5679
