By Thulani Gqirana
Port Elizabeth – The EFF is planning to surprise many in Nelson Mandela Bay, chairperson Dali Mpofu said on Tuesday.
Campaigning in Ward 43 in Uitenhage accompanied by singing and dancing supporters, Mpofu visited a number of households in the area, where he was told of poverty, leaking roofs and general neglect by the sitting councillor.
The ward is, however, now up for grabs after an error led to the ANC not fielding a candidate in the area.
Talking to media during his door-to-door visits, Mpofu said they had heard victory noises from the ANC and the DA, who each claimed they were winning the metro.
“But the reality is we are going to surprise many people in this metro. All systems go. We are more than ready and I think some of those parties that are claiming victory will eat humble pie come Thursday,” he said.
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They had worked very hard in their campaign, with better resources than they had access to in the 2014 elections, he said.
He bemoaned the bucket system in Nelson Mandela Bay, and said it should not be that one of the wealthier cities in South Africa was “leading in the bucket system”.
Mpofu said the party would not rule out the possibility of a coalition in the hotly contested metro.
“We are not really into coalitions as such, most certainly we will not have a coalition with the ANC. If it [ANC] is voted less than 50% it is a sign that people no longer want them, so we won’t bring them in the back door,” he said.
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But they were prepared to go into an opposition coalition to govern the metro.
However, the coalition would have conditions, including housing delivery, he said.
