By-elections: Services top agenda for eThekwini’s Ward 35 residents
Several by-elections for new ward councillors got underway in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.
From Ray Nkonyeni Municipality on the South Coast to Nkandla Municipality in the north, residents of nine wards are voting for who they believe will be best suited to help get their respective challenges addressed and represent them in council.
In eThekwini Municipality, three by-elections for wards 33, 35, and 36 are being contested between the DA, MK Party, the ANC, and ActionSA.
Newswatch visited one of the voting stations in Ward 35.
It was held by the DA, but councillor Nicole Bollman resigned to take up a position as an MP.
The ward is being contested by the DA, ActionSA, and the ANC.
One voter spoke to Newswatch about what she's hoping for from her new councillor.
READ: Several by-elections to be held in KZN on Wednesday
"My biggest issue is the rates that keep on escalating. You get a fixed income every month, and that does not go, but just everything else goes up. Something has to be done."
Another resident says service delivery challenges can only be improved if their councillor works with the municipality.
"Co-operation with local government should be improved; it does not matter who wins the ward, but the government has the obligation to assist where they can. That is what they are there for."
One resident says ongoing water outages have gotten out of hand.
"The issue that they are dealing with is monumental, so we have to just hope. If we could combat the electricity problem, so who knows? Then there is the corruption, and everything ties back."
Voting stations close at 9 pm on Wednesday.
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