Siphelele Nketo
WHILE ward councillor candidates across South Africa have been actively drumming up support ahead of the November 4 local government elections, it is business as usual for Langa Gwala (32) from the small village of Ramohlakoana in Matatiele, Eastern Cape.
Gwala’s details appear on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) candidate list for the Matatiele Local Municipality as a Ward 6 councillor candidate under the Afrika Mayibuye Movement.
But the concerned Gwala told the Post that he never submitted his personal details to the party to stand as a ward councillor candidate.
He claimed he was alerted by friends that his name appears on the candidate list and that they even showed him a campaign poster bearing his name. He has distanced himself from being aware of the candidate listing, saying he has no affiliation with the Afrika Mayibuye Movement or any political party.
He even denied having knowledge about the party.
“It was last Sunday when my friends informed me about the poster circulating on social media. I was shocked because there was not even a single day that I interacted with the party about being a candidate. I’m not even aware of the party,” said the unemployed Gwala.
He said the photograph used on the poster is not his.
However, the Afrika Mayibuye Movement has disputed Gwala’s version of the story. The party’s first deputy secretary in the Eastern Cape, Tumo Mothapa, said they communicated with Gwala during preparations for candidate nominations. Mothapa said Gwala agreed to participate in the elections as a councillor candidate. Mothapa further claimed that Gwala voluntarily submitted his personal details as part of the nomination process and only changed his mind after the IEC had confirmed his details. He has advised Gwala to formally resign as a party candidate if he no longer wishes to stand.
“Afrika Mayibuye Movement is still new and it is very hard to find a support-base especially in rural communities. Our campaign actions are promising in Matatiele as we continue to gain more support day by day,” Mothapa said.
He added that the party’s election campaigns will remain effective in Ward 6 of Matatiele even if Gwala does not participate. The IEC Alfred Nzo regional manager Arnold Mbaligontsi confirmed that Gwala is a Ward 6 councillor candidate under the Afrika Mayibuye Movement in Matatiele.
