Heavily contested ward retained by DA

WARD 73 in Chatsworth has been retained by the DA following a by-election last week. The ward includes Croftdene, Arena Park and Montford.

The DA and ANC sent national delegates to campaign in the area before the by-election. They included DA federal leader John Steenhuisen and ANC president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Daniel Logan Mea, 27, is the new ward councillor.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said the DA retained its seat, with 81.74% of the total votes cast. During the 2021 Municipal Elections, the party garnered 67.47%. The voter turnout last Wednesday was 27.23% compared to 49.10% in 2021.

The ward was previously represented by Devaraj “Ronnie” Pillay. It became vacant after he resigned from the DA to join the ANC. Last Wednesday, he contested for the ward as well as Ravanasithan Pillay of the EFF.

Mea, who was born and raised in Montford, Chatsworth, and served as a provincial representative for the DA in the youth parliament last year, said becoming a ward councillor was his biggest political achievement.

He acknowledged Steenhuisen and Francios Rodgers, the provincial DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, for their trust in him.

Mea said he recently put his theatre production studies at DUT on hold to put the needs of the community first. He said he would branch off into political science studies.

Mea said his godmother, former councillor Kanagie Pillay, introduced him to politics at age 12. “It started with walking the streets, speaking to people about their issues and eventually it changed to defining my life. I’m currently being mentored in politics by Mergan Chetty, a member of Parliament, who has groomed me to the best capacity of serving the community.”

Mea has been part of the DA for 15 years and said the best characteristic of a leader was integrity and accountability. “With these two characteristics, a leader can definitely aim to achieve higher. I believe serving the community is not just a position but a calling. This country needs young people to restore it and this needs to start on a municipal level.”

He said Ward 73 residents were facing a myriad issues.

“Burst water pipes, sewage issues, faulty street lights, inefficient parks and gardens, as well as crime and drug abuse are the common issues that our community faces on a daily basis.

“I intend on working closely with the municipality to ensure that every resident receives only the best services. I will follow up on complaints that have been reported and give our residents feedback.”