UDM denies working with EFF for BCM by-elections

Some BCM ward 20 ANC members are urging voters to vote for an EFF candidate in Wednesday’s by-elections.
INTERNAL DISPUTE: Some BCM ward 20 ANC members are urging  voters to vote for an EFF candidate in  Wednesday’s by-elections.
Image: SUPPLIED

The UDM in Mdantsane has denied that it has told its members to vote for the red berets, while irate ANC members continue to de-campaign their party and exhort voters to support an EFF candidate in Wednesday’s by-elections.

This was revealed by the UDM leader in the BCM, Anele Skoti, after claims that the EFF and UDM had allegedly agreed to share their votes.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Skoti said the party had no working relationship with the EFF, or any other political party, in the contestation of the by-election in ward 12.

“It has come to our attention that rumours have been circulated, allegedly by the EFF, suggesting otherwise.

“However, we have yet to confirm the source of these claims. Regardless, the UDM strongly condemns such rumourmongering.

“The UDM will contest this by-election independently, with our candidate, Mr Ntuthuzelo Ceshemba, and we remain committed to fighting this election with integrity and without alliances,” he said.

However, the EFF leader in BCM, Mziyanda Hlekiso, said the allegations were false.

“If they don’t trust their members, then they should vote for the EFF.

“This is not true, we don’t have any agreement with the UDM, we have never said their voters must vote for us.

“We are campaigning everywhere and we are engaging with everyone. If their members want to vote for us, then it is fine,” Hlekiso said.

This comes as BCM’s ward 20 ANC members have urged voters to vote for EFF candidate Siphiwe Mboni.

This is due to their displeasure over a candidate they feel has been imposed on them by party bosses in the Dr WB Rubusana region.

This, they say, will be done “to spite” some party leaders in the Dr WB Rubusana region, and to make sure that the chosen ward councillor candidates, Lwando Pisane and Dumisani Ntyabontyi, who will stand for ward 20 and 12, respectively, do not make it to the council chambers.

In September, disgruntled groups from both wards marched to the party’s provincial headquarters in Qonce to lodge disputes, but they failed to have the decisions reversed.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape has slammed “fake” flyers doing the rounds on social media  asking its members to vote for the EFF in the byelections.

The party described the flyers as “desperate attempts by mischievous forces of darkness bent on misleading voters of ward 20, purported by ANC members”.

“These flyers in the black, green and gold colours of the ANC are not from our movement,” ANC provincial communications head Gift Ngqondi said.

“We condemn this practice by these faceless individuals which demonstrates high levels of hatred and political intolerance by those opposed to the ANC policies , traditions and values.

“SA is a constitutional democracy, which guarantees freedom of association and speech, among many rights we continue to enjoy. Any abuse of these rights cannot be allowed.”

Ngqondi vowed  that the party's detractors would not succeed.

“Any attempt to sow seeds of disinformation by agent provocateurs will not succeed to mislead our people,” he said.

“A show of our strength and mass support will once again be seen when scores of ANC supporters vote for our glorious movement tomorrow.”

The by-elections are set to take place after ANC councillors Andile Phethani and Aphiwe Gcwabe died recently.

DispatchLIVE


 

 

 

subscribe

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.