Electioneering is in full swing as political parties and their candidates battle it out for a seat in the Western Cape’s only metropolitan municipality – the City of Cape Town.
Home to well over four million people, contenders are making big promises to the electorate in hopes of bagging their vote as they eye one of the 231 seats in council.
Here’s what the United Independent Movement, God Save Africa, United Progressive Party of South Africa, The Greens, Khoi San Kingdom RSA, Independent South African National Civic Organisation and Spectrum National Party have to say.
READ | Come to the party: Here are some of the candidates hoping for a seat in the City of Cape Town
United Independent Movement
Why should people vote for you?
It’s time for change after 27 years of political rhetoric. We are not politicians; we are the business people of this country who actually care. Change must come.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Accountability, governance monitoring, and holding old massive parties accountable for their promises.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
Implement accountability and put ward councillors on the ground as servants; 80% of all City of Cape Town procurement contracts will be spent on local companies; we will have an emergency fund to alleviate poverty.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
We are not taking votes from the current parties, we are bringing millions of people back to voting and making it cool again.
God Save Africa (GSA)
Why should people vote for you?
God Save Africa is a political party that fears and acknowledges God as our leader, director and manager. God Save Africa has identified a dire need for Christians to be represented in decision making with regards to the lives of South Africans. South Africans must now put in power the political party that represents God.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Education is our main focus because education is the best tool for development. According to world research, our people need teaching and training – academically, politically, economically, financially, spiritually and socially.
Job creation through agriculture and infrastructure development and improvement (roads, schools, clinics, waste water treatment works).
Support to small businesses – funding, provide buildings and shelters for hawkers, encourage use of small businesses by government and government institutions.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
Training of mind and soul for true change and transformation of character and uproot the mentality of delivery seasons – South Africans need our presence as politicians consistently not only during the year of elections.
We will instil the culture of prayers of all people in all community halls once every month in the whole South Africa against Satanism, killings, gangsterism, raping, general violence, corruption, conflict and violence (public, council chambers, Provincial Legislature, National Parliament).
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
Small parties cannot be ignored because the GSA, which is one of them, will bring about creativity, innovation and invention that will bring about change in our country. Small parties also reduce the opportunities of bullying by dominating political parties – this is an opportunity for new ideologies. We believe that the enemy is no more the same. The enemy of democracy is greed, corruption and lack of fear of God by those who are leading – GSA is here to restore that.
United Progressive Party of South Africa
Why should people vote for you?
As our mission statement states, we have four major spheres which we believe strongly in: self-government, family government, church government and civil government. The above spheres are important to the party and [we] believe it should be for the country as well. With the above we will be able to make a positive change in the City of Cape Town.
A voting station at Wolraad Woltemade Primary School in Cape Town.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Service delivery, better staff productivity in the workplace and rates and electricity to be addressed in the City.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
Implement Godly governance; stop corruption; change the tender process in the city so that the less fortunate people can have opportunity to grow and improve their lifestyle; and building a business for themselves.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
Voting for a smaller party gives the smaller party an opportunity to voice their concerns and gives us an opportunity in decision making in our country.
The Greens
Why should people vote for you?
The greatest challenge of our time is climate change, which intensified Cape Town’s water crisis. This negatively affects people’s security, health and well-being. Climate change is exacerbated by the linear economic model: extract natural resources, production, consumption and throw-away culture. The Greens want a circular economy without waste for the retention of value, jobs and the maximisation of citizens’ well-being.
The Greens Logo.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Energy: The Greens will retrofit buildings and subsidise wind and solar energy.
Pollution: Polluted air and water, as well as littering and illegal dumping threaten our health and well-being.
Youth: We are not politically left or right, but forward-looking, which is about the youth. The current generation cannot deplete natural resources and leave a destroyed planet to future generations.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
Cape Town is the most unequal city in South Africa because of apartheid spatial planning, but more so due to the anti-poor policies of the DA government. This cannot be denied, because sewerage from under-serviced areas end up not only in other areas, but also in vleis, rivers and the sea. The Greens will implement pro-poor, green policies.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
South Africa is a multi-party representative democracy. As such, citizens decide which party should represent them in municipal councils. The connection between citizens and party is made not on size, but when the party articulates their values, aspirations and vision for a municipality. Citizens that care about the planet and future generations choose The Greens, because The Greens care.
Khoi San Kingdom RSA
Why should people vote for you?
We are a Khoi San party and we fight for the rights of the Khoi San people, who are the only nation in South Africa with a legal heritage. The anger, frustration and oppression of people is a result of being marginalised and disinherited.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Here in Atlantis (north of Cape Town) we have the biggest aquifer under us, but people’s water is cut off because charges are so high. We have a lot of empty land around us, but people need housing and are paying high rentals in backyard wendy houses. People’s dignity needs to be restored.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
We will make sure that people’s human dignity is restored.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
People are dying without any results after 30 years of fly-by-night parties. We are the biggest party for the Khoi San, and we have not gone into coalitions like other smaller parties.
Khoi San Kingdom RSA logo. (Photo: William Davids Facebook)
Independent South African National Civic Organisation
Why should people vote for you?
We are a community-based organisation and people can vote for people they can approach directly when they have problems, instead of parties who have made promises for 30 years without implementing the promises.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
The corruption escalating in municipalities; neglected road and sewerage system maintenance; empowerment of youth and creating jobs.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
We will be accountable to people and make sure they feel they are part of decision making and the running of municipalities. We will encourage people to help and will keep them informed because knowledge is power.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
They are afraid of promoting democracy. It is nothing to do with the size of a party – the numbers are only known afterward. It is about communities’ lives being changed. There are parties in Parliament with one seat and they are not contributing.
Spectrum National Party
Why should people vote for you?
We are an equal benefit party with a 25% split in governance between Black, Coloured, White and Indians so that all can benefit equally and to remove injustice and division.
What are the three main issues your party would tackle facing local government today?
Land for the homeless; lower tax rates for lower income people; free electricity for the elderly.
What would your party do differently to what the current ruling party is doing now?
Equal race governance; dividing employment equally among people; buy farms for people who live on the streets so they can live without pressure; and develop greenhouses and self-sustaining cooperatives.
What is your view on mainstream political parties saying that a vote for a smaller party is a waste of a vote?
Small parties can bring change if their vision is correct.
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Source by www.news24.com
