The eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement (ERPM) has secured two proportional representation (PR) seats in the eThekwini council, with chairperson Asad Gaffar and Rose Cortes set to occupy the seats. The party garnered 12,415 votes after contesting 41 wards, narrowly missing out on a Ward seat. ERPM transitioned from a civic organisation to a political party earlier this year, having spent three years boycotting rates and suing the municipality over the lack of basic services.
ERPM outperformed several established parties despite having a limited budget, entering a metro where no single party reached the 112-seat majority. The party finished ahead of several longstanding parties, including the Patriotic Alliance, Minority Front, and ACDP, which each secured one seat. ERPM tied with the Freedom Front Plus and African Transformation Movement, which each secured two seats.
Cortes said she and Gaffar were ordinary people with ordinary jobs, having served ratepayer interests through the Westville ratepayers association and the EThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement. They did not have big promises for their first 100 days in office, but their commitment remained to serving the best interests of the citizenry of the metro. Their priorities included ensuring solid governance, budget alignment and scrutiny, accountability, and equitable service delivery.
Political analyst Alex Van Den Heever from Wits University said the emergence of civic organisations turning into political parties was an interesting development in local government electoral politics. He saw no problem with this, but noted that the real test would be how ERPM's councillors remained connected to the communities they represented and whether they could improve accountability and transparency.
Van Den Heever added that ERPM's success depended on its ability to influence practical issues such as service delivery and municipal finances. He also highlighted the challenge of retaining the community-based character of the organisation while operating effectively within formal politics. The movement's success would be closely watched, as it experimented with a new approach to community representation.
Dr Thokozani Chilenga-Butao, another political analyst from Wits University, said ERPM's success would be measured by its ability to hold eThekwini accountable for revenue collection and how that revenue was allocated and spent. The movement began precisely because they were frustrated with how their rates were not being used for service delivery, so that would be a key area of focus.
Chilenga-Butao added that a second measure of success would be whether ERPM could affect and improve service delivery by demanding accountability for how rates were spent. The movement's councillors would face the challenge of balancing their community-based roots with the demands of operating within the formal politics of the council. Their performance would be closely watched, as a potential model for future community representation.
Key points
- ERPM secured two PR seats with 12,415 votes in the eThekwini council elections.
