Residents of Ward 36, Durban North, have voted to remain with their current DA leadership, Councillor Shontel De Boer, in the Local Government Elections that took place on Monday.
“The queues had been remarkably long from before seven on Monday morning and the support I had received from residents was overwhelming. I was extremely positive and knew that we were going to win the ward. I will continue to do the work that I do and will strive to give residents the best that I possibly can,” said Cllr De Boer. DA leader, John Steenhuisen, also cast his vote in his hometown of Durban North at Northwood Boys’ School, marking his ballot in favour of Cllr De Boer. Speaking to the media, Steenhuisen expressed his elation at being back in his hometown, which he served for ten years as a metro councillor. “I have been involved with the DA my entire life and will be involved with them till my dying days. I passionately believe that this party is the future for South Africa,” he said. When questioned about the alleged electoral fraud regarding unmarked ballot papers, the party leader said that those partaking in electoral fraud, wherever they’re from, should be dealt with severely. “This is the expression of the people’s will and cannot be subverted by people who would like to cling to power through means other than the democratic ballot box,” said Steenhusien.
Commenting on the possibility of forming coalitions with other parties, Steenhusien stated that the DA is open to forming coalitions with other parties should they share the DA’s values and principals. Durban North resident, Maria Goncalves, said she would like her vote to ensure a safer neighbourhood and high service delivery, while resident, Dave Human, commented that one of the key reasons for his vote was to ensure more pressure is put on the municipality. “We sat the whole of last week with a power failure. It was reported to the municipality immediately, they didn’t fix the problem and I eventually had to arrange three complaints. We were out of power from Monday to Wednesday. Monday morning the power came back on at five, at six there was loadshedding once again,” said Human. “The only people who delivered in Durban North, that I know of, is the DA. You ask them for help and they give it to you,” added another resident, Victor Kipps.
