Siphelele Nketo
A LOCAL school teacher in KwaZulu-Natal has accepted his community’s plea to contest the upcoming municipal elections as an independent candidate.
Zolani Tshwane, who has been teaching for more than 10 years in a school in Umzimkhulu, said he decided to stand as an independent candidate after witnessing service delivery challenges in his ward. He said he was not pushed by any political party, but was motivated by the community that asked him to represent them at the ballot box.
“I am a teacher by profession, and a resident of my ward. I have seen the struggles that people in my ward go through. Poor roads, lack of water and housing challenges are among the problems the community faces every day,” Tshwane said. He will be contesting in Ward 3 under the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality. Tshwane promised to serve the community when elected.
He said it was not easy for him to decide to stand as an independent candidate because his family held different views and were against the decision, citing the killings of political candidates.
He said he was encouraged by the words of his grandmother who supported the idea.
“I submitted my details to the IEC on the last day of registration because I wanted to consider all views from people around me,” he stated. His campaign has been activated in the ward, with community members conducting door-to-door programmes and putting up posters on electricity poles ahead of the November 4 elections.
