Johannesburg - North West Premier Kaobitsa Bushy Maape has urged the incoming municipal councillors in his province to change the face of local government and prioritise communities after their election as candidates.
Maape made the call after casting his vote in his hometown of Vryburg, at the Bopaganang Secondary School, which falls under the Naledi Local Municipality.
He maintained that the provision of services, such as water, housing, and roads, would top the agenda of the province, and that through the district development model, the government would attract investment, resulting in the creation of jobs.
“We are a predominantly a rural province and we need to spend the little resources we have wisely. This includes putting systems in place to ensure the financial stability of municipalities. I am confident that the incoming councils will comprise people who are ethical and qualified,” said Maape.
The premier has also implored the incoming councillors to be of service to the communities, who have entrusted them with their votes, and to fight the challenges of unemployment and poverty gripping many localities.
While Maape appeared to be confident and hoping to turn around the North West municipalities, some of which were placed under administration by the national government, political parties were unhappy about the turnout at voting stations yesterday.
DA provincial leader Leon Basson last night bemoaned the low turnout of voters in the entire province yesterday.
“There was a very low turnout at voting stations throughout the North West province. By noon, there was a total turnout of 13%. It is a worrying factor,” Basson said.
He, however, said that there was a high turnout in DA-controlled wards and they were happy about the support by some of the electorate.
ANC North West spokesperson Kenny Morolong also confirmed that there was generally a low voter turnout in the province, but remained hopeful last night that the number would rise before the closure of voting stations at 9pm.
“We have, consequently, directed all our provincial, regional, and local leaders to assume the role of door knockers, to mobilise people to come out of their houses and visit voting stations to cast their votes. We are confident that the numbers will rise before the closure of voting stations,” Morolong said.
He attributed the low turnout to a combination of factors saying, among them, could have been voter apathy, but he remained confident of last hour rushes to voting stations.
Political Bureau