The UDM has named deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa as its Buffalo City Metro mayoral candidate, deploying one of its most senior leaders as it mounts an ambitious bid to dramatically expand its presence in the metro in the November 4 local government elections.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa announced Kwankwa’s candidacy at a party gathering in Phakamisa, Qonce, on Saturday, attended by more than 1,300 people, according to party spokesperson Yongama Zigebe.
The gathering also welcomed new members from the ANC and EFF as the UDM seeks to capitalise on growing voter dissatisfaction and build on recent gains in areas traditionally dominated by larger parties.
The UDM currently holds just one proportional representation seat in BCM’s 100-seat council and no ward seats, making its stated ambition to govern the metro a formidable electoral challenge.
However, the party points to its recent performance in Ward 1 in Duncan Village, where it emerged as the third-most supported party in a by-election behind the ANC and DA, overtaking the EFF and SACP, as evidence that its support is growing.
Kwankwa said the party had spent years building its presence in the metro and believed the November election presented an opportunity for a breakthrough.
“I will be the mayor of Buffalo City after the local government election because we’ve been working on this metro for the past 10 years,” he said.
“What is important is to be clear about the kind of people that you bring on board, as we are not taking on board every Tom, Dick and Harry who would bring with them some of the behavioural tendencies that some of these parties didn’t like into the UDM.”
Kwankwa said the party had deliberately concentrated some of its recent recruitment efforts on Duncan Village but would now broaden its campaign across BCM.
“We have deliberately focused on Duncan Village, but the campaign programme, when it starts, now that I’ve been unveiled as the mayoral candidate for the UDM, it’s going to try and focus on villages,” he said.
“What people are forgetting to mention, probably in their analysis, the growth we achieved in Ward 1, we did in two weeks.
“The damage that we’ve been doing in the townships has been done in the shortest possible period, because we are not overly bureaucratic as a party.”
Zigebe said the party did not believe its recent growth could be attributed solely to instability or dissatisfaction within rival parties.
“Voters have been searching for a credible alternative because they experience the consequences of poor governance every day. The UDM is presenting itself as that alternative,” he said.
“Of course, when established parties fail to meet people’s expectations, political space opens up. But people do not automatically move to the UDM simply because they are unhappy with somebody else. We still have to earn their confidence.”
He said the party regarded its advances in Duncan Village as significant because areas traditionally regarded as political strongholds were becoming increasingly competitive.
“People are increasingly demonstrating that no ward belongs permanently to any political organisation. Political support must be earned.”
Kwankwa has meanwhile made the state of the metro central to his campaign, accusing the current administration of poor leadership, incomplete projects and financial mismanagement.
“If you look at the books, the challenges they face, there’s no leadership. Nothing works in Buffalo City,” he said.
“Projects aren’t completed on time. Equipment is bought and left idle, and there’s irregular expenditure.
“There’s just complete mismanagement of the metro.”
He said the UDM would campaign as an alternative government rather than simply as an opposition party seeking additional council seats.
“We’re offering ourselves, we are saying as a party that we are this organisation with a clean record, we are this organisation that has put forward a value proposition for the residents of Buffalo City, and the value proposition speaks directly to some of the challenges specifically that people face in the region,” Kwankwa said.
Zigebe said BCM was particularly important to the party because of its economic significance to the Eastern Cape.
“We believe Buffalo City has enormous potential, but that potential has not been fully translated into improved living conditions for its residents,” he said.
“That is why we are not contesting merely to increase the number of UDM councillors. We are contesting with the intention of governing and demonstrating what accountable local government can look like.”
The party also plans to target younger and first-time voters, with Zigebe saying it was deliberately putting younger candidates into leadership positions.
He said Kwankwa had been selected because of his senior political experience, knowledge of government and ties to BCM.
“His candidacy also sends an important message: the UDM is taking Buffalo City seriously. We have deployed one of the most senior leaders of the party because we are not approaching this election merely to participate.”
Should the UDM secure sufficient support for Kwankwa to become mayor, he would relinquish his seat in parliament and his position as the party’s National Assembly chief whip.
Despite the confidence displayed at Saturday’s gathering, Zigebe acknowledged that drawing a large crowd was far removed from winning control of a 100-seat metro.
“Crowds do not govern municipalities and rallies do not automatically translate into votes. The work now moves into communities, street by street and ward by ward.
“Our responsibility between now and election day is to earn the confidence of the people of Buffalo City.”
