ANC chair not fearful after attack on her life
Pietermaritzburg ANC ward 22 branch chair, Nonhlanhla Khumalo, said that the attack on her life did nothing to stop her garnering support from the area.
|||Pietermaritzburg - An attack in the home of a Pietermaritzburg ANC member, Nonhlanhla Khumalo, in June did nothing to stop her from living her life as normal and continuing to garner support from the area on Wednesday.
Khumalo, the branch chairperson in ward 22, in Edendale, was in high spirits. She was pleased that everything was running smoothly in the area, with no threats of violence or intimidation.
She said that the attempt made on her life did not make her fearful.
Early June, she and her daughters were watching television between 8.30 pm and 9 pm when their home came under fire.
Seven spent bullet casings were found at the roadside and some struck the house.
Of the incident, she said she suspected the culprits behind the crime to be councillors who were removed from the nomination list because of poor performance.
The attack came after the murders of four ANC members in Edendale and Imbali in May.
Deputy chairperson of the ANC’s community policing forum, Xolani Ngongoma, said at 4pm that everything was still running smoothly in the Edendale area.
“There is nothing suspicious for now.”
Voters came out in their numbers to make their mark on the ballot papers. Polling stations visited in Pietermaritzburg, Hilton and Howick after midday had foot traffic moving in and out quickly.
The atmosphere was calm and relaxed. Where there were queues, they moved fast.
Residents of Copesville, an area that saw several protests early this year over service delivery, were happy to vote. In April, many disgruntled people said they would not vote if the then ward councillor, Thandi Ndlovu, was to stand for elections today. She died due to illness in June.
Gloria Kotelala said she had hope and faith that things would improve in the area with a new ward councillor. She added that many people in the area whom she had known, had also voted.
sharika.regchand@inl.co.za
Elections Bureau