Brothers representing opposing parties contest the same ward

FOUR Ntabane brothers from the Eastern Cape, standing for local government elections as candidates of different political parties, will run against each other as they vie for Matatiele’s Ward 10, Caba village in Magadla.

Loyiso, Vuyani, Siphamandla and Luyolo Ntabane descended from the same paternal forefather (Ntabane), but were all born of different parents, and would be considered cousins in Western culture.

The oldest, Loyiso, 50, was born in the area that they are campaigning for. His interest in politics gained momentum when he became a political activist as a teenager while living in Lamontville, Kwazulu-natal. He said his father introduced him to politics in the 1980s.

With more than 35 years of being exposed to politics, Loyiso has been a member of several parties including the ANC and the PAC. He said he joined the EFF after its emergence in 2012/13.

When asked about how he would encourage voters to take part in the local government elections, Loyiso said they would have to look beyond the government’s failure, but have faith and vote for a party they believed would do better.

“We understand that some citizens feel that the ANC government has failed them for the past 27 years, but we encourage voters to give other political parties a chance to do better.”

If elected, the EFF candidate said he would focus on creating job opportunities for the youth especially, with a focus on infrastructure, including road construction and RDP houses, among other things.

Vuyani, 47, was born in Soweto, Johannesburg, but relocated to Mthatha in 1980 with his family, and later moved to Matatiele. He said he and his siblings were raised with strict Christian values.

He has worked as an information and technology specialist in the revenue department for the City of Johannesburg for 15 years, is an IT consultant, having also worked in the transportation business.

Vuyani said their immediate and extended family were shocked at first to find out that they were all contesting for different political parties in the same ward. Following a more in-depth conversation, the family accepted the decision.

Vuyani said all four of them have a good relationship and have not been affected by their different political standings. “We do not mix political ideologies with family. We value and treasure our family values, but the perception out there is that we are fighting, and that is not the case,” he said.

Vuyani is standing as an independent candidate. If he wins, he said that he would ensure that there is direct and continuous interaction with all communities through standard monthly meetings.

“I will make sure that the Matatiele Local Municipality utilises or deploys an in-house call logging system for all wards, including ward 10. This will assist in monitoring and evaluation of all work done by myself, and will also speed up service delivery to the communities,” Vuyani said.

The ANC candidate, Siphamandla, 38, the youngest of the four, was also born in the Caba village, Magadla area. He said his interest in politics started when he was 12, having been part of a political revolution against the apartheid regime.

“When I heard struggle songs,

I would cry and I did not know what was going on at the time, but I did understand the struggle and the need to free black people from an oppressive government,” said Siphamandla.

He said his leadership skills were nurtured through leading herd boys, the student representative council and as an ANC Youth League secretary. He is studying towards his bachelor of commerce, internal auditing studies with Unisa. He works as a PA in the Office of the Chief Whip of the ANC.

Siphamandla said he planned to continue the fight against corruption, and follow in the footsteps of the founding party leaders. He also wanted expand the tourism sector and create jobs, among other sectors.

Luyolo, 48, a candidate for the African Independence Congress (AIC), also grew up in the area they are campaigning for. He was raised by his late mother, Sheila Ntabeni.

His political career began when he lived in Lamontville in Durban, where he was a member of the Msizi Dube Youth League in 1988.

After being exposed to politics, Luyolo found himself supporting the ANC, but went on to co-found the AIC after being displeased with the governing party’s work in Matatiele.

He also attested to having a good relationship with his brothers despite their involvement in various political parties.

“My brothers and I have a tight brotherly bond. We grew up together, and despite the age gap, we had a close relationship. We also relied on each other. Politics has never been an issue in any kind of way. We have always been vocal about our choice of parties,” said Luyolo

He said that they did not regard themselves as political rivals, but as opponents which was more fitting, he said.

Luyolo is an electrical engineer who has a company, Going Places Constructions and Projects (Pty, Ltd). He was running for the elections for the first time, like all the three brothers.

He said he would do away with the tender system and cadre deployment. Instead, skilled people would be employed and free access given to rehabilitation centres.