Mumtaz Moosa Saley
26:10:2021

The elections are just a stone’s throw away, with many parties are campaigning hard to ensure a seat in their respective municipalities. 

In the ward I live in, Ward 73, I only know of two candidates in the running. There has been no list up until yesterday, and there have been no posters. Some parties came late to the game. 

How does one decide on a candidate to vote when you are clueless about them and what they bring to the table, or make no effort to be heard or seen? Hear me out, and if I were to vote for a councillor, I would like to know more about them.

 The councillor in my area does a fantastic job and is the only person who helps whenever needed. Over the years, the ward councillor has taken time to join the community groups, and she responds weekly with updates on various topics that concern the residents in Ward 73. So, when it comes to local elections, I have to wonder why no one else put in an effort. 

Last night I stumbled onto a website informing you of who is running for elections in your area. That is how I found out that we have over 20 people running for local government elections in our area. But the majority don’t live in or around the area they are contesting. How on earth does this help? 

Imagine voting for a person who lives 45 km from you, and you are complaining about being without water and lights, and they have no clue. 

Enough of my ranting; my point is that we should choose someone with integrity and with deep roots in the community. Ward councillors who were previous CPF members should get your thumbs up as they know what is going and keep up with the latest trends and concerns in the area.

Thus, I am appealing to all to go out and vote and let their voice be heard.

And if you want to find out about the candidates standing for election in your ward, check out this site: Who are you voting for? (opencitieslab.org)

The website also lets you know how many wards they are contesting in.