ATM Puts ANC, Mayor On Notice Over Alleged Jobs-For-Votes Scheme

With the November 4 Local Government Elections approaching at breakneck speed, the African Transformation Movement (ATM), a contestant in the race for Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality council seats, is now threatening to drag the ANC to the Electoral Court and also demanded an independent investigation.

The party claims that publicly funded employment opportunities and municipal resources in the metro are being used to influence voters in favour of the ANC ahead of the local government elections. The ATM has called on Buffalo City council Speaker Humphrey Maxhegwana to institute an urgent, independent investigation into allegations of political manipulation involving job opportunities linked to the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), municipal infrastructure development projects, municipal employment and other public resources.

They are directly accusing outgoing Buffalo City Executive Mayor Princess Faku, who is one of three ANC mayoral candidates in the metro, as well as ANC councillors, candidates and party structures.

ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona, who is also campaigning for a Buffalo City council seat, said he had been alerted by community members from various wards who are alleging that Faku had been collaborating with ANC ward candidates to facilitate employment for community members and ANC volunteers in an effort to influence their votes.

Ntshona said community members had supplied the party with information identifying people who allegedly benefitted from the programmes. “Those community-supplied lists are incorporated into this submission as evidentiary schedules requiring verification against the municipality's official recruitment, appointment, payroll and EPWP records,” said Ntshona.

The ATM is calling for the investigation to cover all 50 wards in Buffalo City, rather than being limited to areas they already have information about.

“The wards now reflected in the beneficiary material supplied to the ATM include Wards 1, 2, 12, 17, 25 (Zone 8), 39, 45 and 49 (Ndevana and Tshabo), in addition to the substantive allegations already raised concerning Wards 22 and 23. The ATM has received reports from communities across Buffalo City's 50 wards alleging that ANC political influence has been exercised in the distribution or facilitation of publicly funded employment opportunities, including through ANC candidates and councillors,” said Ntshona.

Among the specific allegations is that ANC Ward 39 candidate Odwa Sheshegu was given the responsibility to arrange employment opportunities in the ward, a function, the ATM said, would ordinarily be part of the responsibilities of the sitting ward councillor, Lunga Gqola.

This is a deliberate move to ensure Gqola is sidelined while Sheshegu, the ward candidate, campaigns with promises of government jobs to improve the prospects of the ANC.

The ATM says it approached Gqola about the employment opportunities and that evidence - available to the party - indicated that the councillor was not involved in their allocation and did not know how the opportunities were being distributed.

“This raises a material evidential question: how is it possible that employment opportunities are being allocated in Ward 39 without the knowledge of the sitting ward councillor."

The party is also calling for an investigation into allegations that Sandile Mqwashini, an ANC candidate in Ward 22, and also not the current councillor of the ward, is actively involved in facilitating employment opportunities in the ward. The sitting councillor is Sabelo Booi.

In Ward 23, the ATM alleges that ANC figure Simbongile Sydwell Gulwa is involved in facilitating approximately 200 employment opportunities.

The allegations concerning large-scale employment opportunities have also been raised by ANC Buffalo City mayoral candidate Ncedo Kumbaca.

Kumbaca has alleged that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Development Agency was given a mandate to employ at least 200 people in each ward. He has argued that this was not budgeted for and could create a financial burden for an incoming administration.

Kumbaca has also alleged that, around the time of the ANC regional conference, employment contracts were signed by ANC members during Branch General Meetings, allegedly in an effort to influence their votes for ANC regional leadership positions.

The ATM has also raised questions about the municipality's handling of EPWP appointments following a municipal directive dated 13 August 2026.

According to the party, the directive required affected EPWP contracts, activities and participant deployments to cease by 31 August 2026. pending the required review and approval processes.

ATM's Ntshona alleges that the municipality nevertheless made appointments in September involving people allegedly linked to the ANC or intended to be influenced to vote for the party.

The ATM says it has received allegations that individuals were appointed or deployed during September because they were ANC members or volunteers, or through the influence of ANC candidates, councillors or party structures.

“The investigation must therefore establish precisely which programmes and projects were subject to the directive, which projects remained lawfully authorised after 31 August, and the authority for every September appointment or deployment falling within the affected programmes,” said Ntshona.

The party wants the investigation to establish whether any municipal employment opportunities were improperly influenced by political considerations during the election period.

The party further asked the Speaker to investigate allegations concerning the use of Buffalo City-branded vehicles to distribute blankets during an ANC electioneering initiative led by Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina in her capacity as an ANC National Executive Committee member.

The party has also raised questions about the movement of a municipal water tank to Ngxwalane Extension under alleged nefarious circumstances involving people associated with the ANC.

The ATM argues that the allegations must be considered against constitutional requirements governing public administration.

Ntshona said Section 195(1) of the Constitution requires public administration to maintain professional ethics, use resources efficiently and effectively, provide services impartially and fairly, and remain accountable and transparent.

He stressed that the ATM was not asking the Speaker to find anyone guilty without an investigation.

“The ATM does not ask the Speaker to presume guilt. It asks the Speaker to establish the facts through records, witnesses, a lawful investigation and accountable municipal processes,” said Ntshona.

The party has also urged community members to accept employment opportunities that have been offered to them but to remain free to vote for the ATM or any party of their choice.

Buffalo City municipal spokesperson Luzuko Buku said Speaker Maxhegwana was aware of the allegations and understood their seriousness. “All matters of that nature are to be attended to with caution appreciating the electoral period that we are in,” said Buku.

He said Maxhegwana was mindful of the need to ensure that such matters were handled fairly, objectively and in accordance with applicable legislation and institutional processes.

“This is particularly important during the current electoral period, where due care must be exercised to ensure that legitimate governance and accountability processes are not conflated with political or electoral contestation,” said Buku.

“Within the spirit of public accountability we will at an appropriate time update the public on any complaints received, if any. What we do not want to do, is to issue comments prematurely.”

With the local government elections approaching, the proposed investigation could become a significant test of whether publicly funded employment programmes are being administered independently of party-political campaigning and whether the Electoral Court will ultimately be asked to pronounce on the allegations.