A voter casts a ballot during South Africa's local government elections in Cape Town, South Africa, Nov. 1, 2021. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, over 26.2 million voters registered in the country's local government elections, including about 1.11 million voters registered for special votes on Saturday and Sunday, which are designed for those who are unable to cast votes on Monday. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
CAPE TOWN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- South African political parties are campaigning in the legislative capital Cape Town in their last-ditch attempt to woo voters for Monday's local government elections, while about 1.1 million people who registered for special votes are casting their votes over the weekend.
The African National Congress (ANC), the governing party of South Africa, visited residents' home on Saturday in area Bo-Kaap, where ANC Deputy Chief Whip in the Western Cape provincial parliament Khalid Sayed told Xinhua that ANC is doing its final push of house visits.
During the last local government elections held in 2016, ANC got over 24.3 percent of votes while Democratic Alliance (DA) got about 66.5 percent.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also president of ANC, during a campaign in the city last week said ANC will do its best to take over municipalities in Western Cape Province, which hosts Cape Town, promising that ANC can bring about changes as it has been renewing and rebuilding itself, and making itself better to deliver and address the needs of the people.
DA Leader John Steenhuisen and its Cape Town mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis travelled in the city on a DA's campaign bus on Saturday, and visited a DA call center, reminding voters to come out to cast their votes by phone calls.
They visited Mitchells Plain township on Sunday to encourage voters to vote for the party.
GOOD party, founded by former DA member Patricia de Lille, who is South African Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure currently and former Mayor of Cape Town, also targeted Mitchells Plain on Sunday.
Due to COVID-19, this year's election campaign has been the most unusual and uncertain, and it is relatively short but very intense, GOOD party's secretary-general and its Cape Town mayoral candidate Brett Herron said in a telephone interview ahead of the campaign in Mitchells Plain.
According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, over 26.2 million voters registered in the elections, including about 1.11 million voters registered for special votes on Saturday and Sunday, which are designed for those who are unable to cast votes on Monday.
Ramaphosa had authorized the deployment of 10,000 members of the South African National Defence Force from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 to ensure a safe and secure environment to conduct the elections. They are responsible for protection of national key points and critical infrastructure. Enditem
