Former ANC Great Kei councillor Linda Tonze will take on the ruling party when Ward 6 residents elect a new councillor in November.
She is one of five councillors who resigned in August.
Two of the five councillors were propositional representative councillors, meaning the by-elections will only be in three wards.
The IEC confirmed on Thursday that three wards had become vacant, with the by-elections due in November.
The five councillors resigned in protest over the ANC’s decision to recall then mayor Loyiso Tshetsha.
Tonze confirmed she would be standing for re-election, but would not say whether for a rival party, or as an independent candidate.
“I cannot speak right now as I am in a meeting, but yes I am contesting,” she said.
Tshetsha was recalled in July following protests over service delivery and and salary increase strikes by workers.
ANC provincial bosses in August reshuffled the speaker, chief whip and mayor – a decision which saw Ngenisile Tekile being sworn in as the new mayor.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said: “A by-election timetable for November 21 2018 has been drafted but still needs to be approved by the Electoral Commission to fill these ward vacancies.”
The Dispatch previously reported that the municipality, which is under administration, started having problems in December 2016 when the former mayor’s driver crashed the mayor’s official car, which is now reportedly being repaired at a cost of R500,000 – to be paid from municipal coffers.
Tshetsha could not be reached for comment at the time of writing, but he has repeatedly dismissed accusations regarding the car crash.
In February 2017, residents submitted a seven-page petition to the mayor accusing him of behaving “in a shameful manner which is detrimental to the council, as well as to the achievement of the council’s overall development objectives as stipulated in section 152 of the SA constitution”.
This year a municipal building was torched, employees were not paid and the municipality was put under administration.
ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said they were hopeful there would be stability in Great Kei after the by-elections.
“Fortunately we do have a mayor in Great Kei and so the local council is relatively stable. Once we deal with these by-elections, the ANC will be able to service its electorate more effectively,” said Ngcukayitobi...