Durban – Pietermaritzburg ratepayers have put potential councillors on the spot and asked them to demonstrate why they are suitable for the job.
A by-election is set to be held in the Msunduzi Municipality after a seat became vacant.
The Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics (Marrc), in association with the Northern Areas Residents’ Association, has announced that it plans to host a community forum with residents, political parties and independents ahead of the Ward 28 by-election.
The meeting will be held on January 14.
The organisations said the purpose of the public forum was to invite all political parties and independents who were contesting the by-election on January 18 to engage with residents to enable them to make an informed decision on who they wanted to vote for.
Anthony Waldhausen, chairperson of Marrc, said: “We encourage residents to attend the meeting so as to get to know the political parties and independents and ask the hard questions before making their decision on who to vote for.
“This is a unique event that is being organised by a civic movement that promotes active citizenry and defending our democracy,” he said.
He said Marrc encouraged residents to submit questions ahead of the event.
He said any questions that were not answered on the day of the event would be sent to the respective parties and independent candidates and the responses would be posted on Marrc’s social media pages and website.
Questions may be sent to [email protected]