Meet candidates for Ward 8 by-election

Candidates from four political parties are gearing up for the Ward 8 by-election on Wednesday October 23.

The ward covers areas in Brackenfell and Kuils River, and the by-election was triggered by the retirement of DA councillor Marian Nieuwoudt at the end of July.

Ms Nieuwoudt won the ward with 84% of the vote in November 2021 followed by the Freedom Front Plus with 5.6% and the ACDP with 2.3%.

Johann Loots is now standing for the DA, Lindiwe Kunene for the ANC, Carla Lourens-Ferreira for the Cape Independence Party and Sha-Meemah Mohamed El Bana for the Truth and Solidarity Movement.

There are 23 339 registered voters in the ward, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Voting will be held at Rotsgemeente AFM Brackenfell, Bastion Primary School, Die Gemeente Met Oop Deure, NG Kerk De Eike Kuilsriver, Brackenfell Community Church and Curro Brackenfell Private School.

Mr Loots, 24, who moved to Brackenfell from Strand last week, joined the DA in early 2022 and later became a deputy chairperson in Strand’s Ward 83 in Strand.

He pledged to be involved in Brackenfell’s community activities, saying: “I will participate and engage with the community as much as possible and listen and acknowledge the concerns/issues and or suggestions that residents might have and provide clear and concise communication.

Ms Kunene, 34, has been an ANC branch executive committee member in Ward 8 since early 2020, and, in 2022, became a regional task team member, responsible for organising lectures and campaigns for the party in the northern suburbs.

“My vision for Ward 8 is to build a safe and vibrant community. I believe in supporting youth employment, and making our community spaces a hub for sports, recreation, and social cohesion,” she said.

Ms Lourens-Ferreira said she had little background in politics but was involved in community issues through her work as a director of a 24-hour armed response company.

“We get a lot of issues such as drains that are blocked. People saw that I started to engage with them and assist them with logging the complaints. In Protea Heights, a lot of clients came to me and said they would like to have someone they know who will fight for the area,” she said.

Ms Mohamed El Bana said she wanted to build a unified community based on justice and equality.

“To create opportunities for all that are oppressed, to uplift and rebuild a society,” she said.