"Just because we stay in farms, it doesn’t mean we are less intelligent."
Those are the words of a rural community near Salem, so furious with the ANC for ignoring their choice for a ward candidate, that they're ready to boycott the 18 May elections.
"The ANC leaders are pulling in their own direction and the community is pulling towards another direction. People want their own person, then the leaders manipulate the process," said a resident of Brighton Farm.
The ward candidate lists are out and the residents of Brighton Farm, near Salem, are furious that the names on the candidate list do not reflect their choice.
"Just because we stay in farms, it doesn’t mean we are less intelligent."
Those are the words of a rural community near Salem, so furious with the ANC for ignoring their choice for a ward candidate, that they're ready to boycott the 18 May elections.
"The ANC leaders are pulling in their own direction and the community is pulling towards another direction. People want their own person, then the leaders manipulate the process," said a resident of Brighton Farm.
The ward candidate lists are out and the residents of Brighton Farm, near Salem, are furious that the names on the candidate list do not reflect their choice.
According to the community, a Branch General Meeting took place, where ANC members nominated four candidates. These were Mthuthuzeli Madinda, Luyanda Tsana, Noluyolo Mtshizana and Yaliwe Manyathi. Tsana was top of the list, with 53 votes, followed by Madinda who had 48 votes. Both Mtshizana and Manyathi had fewer than 20 votes.
The community members said they naturally thought Tsana would be the ward candidate. But when the lists came out, Madinda was instead named as the ward candidate.
"We don’t want Madinda, we want the person we nominated, if the ANC carries on with Madinda we won't vote," said Mthetheleli Sizani.
What was more, the angry residents said, a public meeting which should have allowed the community members to question the candidates had never happened.
The process of nominating candidates begins at the branch general meeting. There, ANC members nominate candidates for their ward. This is followed by a screening process, in which the candidates have in-depth interviews with the screening committee. Next there is a public meeting, whereby candidates are introduced to the public and get to interact with them. This is the meeting that the residents said did not take place.
The residents of Brighton Farm said they would not vote in the 18 May municipal elections because the ANC had "gone behind their backs" and neglected the candidates which they as a community had chosen.
"We are angry because of the way the ANC conducts things these days. In the past, things were always okay – until the election of Bonani.
That’s when the ANC started treating us farm people like stupid people. Just because we stay in farms, it doesn’t mean we are less intelligent." said one community member.
"Madinda has worked with [councillor Boniwe]Bonani for five years and haven't seen any change," said another. "I love the ANC for the freedom they gave us, but if they carry on like they are doing I will be forced to find another party."
The residents were also upset that there was a name they didn't recognise at all on the PR list.
Asked to comment, Mthuthuzeli “Mabhuti” Matyumza, regional chairperson of the ANC Youth League, said, "The ANC has spoken and we know that not everyone is going to be happy about the final outcome".
He said it did not matter in what position a candidate was placed on the list emanating from the branch general meeting, because there were various other processes, such as the screening of nominated candidates.
"We will go and meet with those community members in Brighton Farm but we can't promise that the list will be changed at this stage," Matyumza said.
"We will go and convince the people that Madinda is the [most]suitable candidate."