Residents of Mouille Point will vote in a different ward during the local government elections on Wednesday 4 November after the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) approved changes to municipal ward boundaries across South <a href="https://absafricatv9491.live-website.com/alake-urges-africa-to-end-raw-mineral-exports-embrace/” title=”Alake urges Africa to end raw mineral exports, embrace…”>Africa.
As part of the revised ward delimitation, Mouille Point will move to Ward 115 ahead of the elections.
The new ward boundaries will only come into effect on election day. Until then, current wards and councillors will remain in place.
The MDB, an independent authority responsible for determining municipal boundaries, completed the ward delimitation process in preparation for this year’s Local Government Elections.
According to Barileng Dichabe, senior manager for stakeholder management and communication at the MDB, the Western Cape has seen an increase in the number of wards across municipalities.
Ward delimitation
“In terms of the Municipal Structures Act, the MDB, in consultation with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), is required to divide metropolitan and local municipalities into wards for electoral purposes every five years before local government elections.”
Dichabe explained that the delimitation process considers changes in voter numbers, which can result in increases or decreases in the number of wards, as well as adjustments to ward boundaries.
“Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of voters resulting in proportional increase and at times decrease in number of wards in municipalities. This results in a change in the configuration (form) of wards in municipalities.”
Dichabe said the total number of wards in the Western Cape has increased from 406 in 2021 to 416 this year.
The board received 60 objections during the delimitation process. According to the MDB, 21 wards were affected by objections, while 395 wards remained unchanged. Only 5% of wards were amended following objections.
The updated ward configurations will be used during the upcoming local government elections.
Nicola Jowell, Ward 54 councillor, who attended the Mouille Point Ratepayers’ Association (MPRA) annual general meeting for the last time in her capacity as ward councillor, thanked the association for its work in the community.
“A special thank you to Jane, who is an outstanding representative for Mouille Point and someone who certainly keeps all of us on our toes. Her dedication, along with that of the entire executive committee, is deeply appreciated.
“Volunteer work is not easy, but strong and active ratepayers’ associations play such an important role in helping communities function effectively and ensuring issues are addressed. Wishing the MPRA and its leadership team all the very best for the year ahead,” said Jowell.
Preparations underway
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has reminded eligible voters that the voter registration weekend will take place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August.
Voting stations across the country will be open from 08:00 to 17:00 on both days.
Western Cape Provincial Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse has also recently met with Acting Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Luyanda Damoyi to strengthen cooperation between the IEC and the South African Police Service ahead of the elections.
The discussions focused on operational planning, law enforcement, intelligence sharing, risk management and the protection of IEC officials, election materials and equipment where necessary.
“We’ve always had a symbiotic relationship with the police, and this collaboration will be strengthened going forward through regular consultations and discussions. The IEC would like to thank the SAPS for always being a reliable ally for the greater good of our democracy.”
South Africans aged 16 and older are encouraged to register for the first time or update their registration details if their place of ordinary residence has changed.
Residents can check their voting station and registration details by visiting the IEC’s online voter information portal: https://www.elections.org.za/pw/voter/Voter-Information
