Voting is under way in Nelson Mandela Bay’s Ward17 as New Brighton residents elect a new councillor.
ANC candidate Ludwe Mnyandu, 41, and the EFF’s Khulile Dyeza, 52, are hoping to garner enough votes to be the New Brighton ward councillor.
The EFF and ANC are the only parties contesting the by-election.
The Elundini creche, Stephen Mazungula Primary School, Philip Nikiwe Senior Secondary School and Thubelihle Secondary School voting stations opened at 7am on Wednesday.
Special votes took place on Monday.
On Tuesday, IEC regional supervisor Crosby Bacela could not confirm the number of people who had voted but said 750 people had applied for special votes.
“Of this figure, 127 were for home visits and 623 were for voting station visits.
“Out of those figures, there were people we did not find when we went to their homes and some did not show up for their voting station visits too,” he said.
Leading up to voting day, both parties brought in the big guns to woo voters, with ANC national executive committee member and state security deputy minister Zizi Kodwa and party provincial chair and premier Oscar Mabuyane campaigning for Mnyandu.
EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and provincial chair Yazini Tetyana drummed up support for Dyeza, saying the EFF Student Command’s recent victory at Nelson Mandela University was an indication of their growth.
The Herald will livestream from one of the voting stations, speaking to both candidates before voting stations close and votes are counted.
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