11-06-2025
DA and PA name candidates for Ward 34 by-election battle
The DA and the Patriotic Alliance in Nelson Mandela Bay will be going head to head as both parties field candidates for the upcoming Ward 34 by-elections in July.
On Monday, the DA announced Annelize Stanley as its candidate and the PA named Geraldine Vaaltyn as its candidate.
Residents will take to the polls on July 16 to vote for their councillor of choice.
The DA aims to retain the ward, which became vacant after the death of DA councillor Johnny Arends, who died in a car accident on the R75 in April.
PA regional chair Bradley Murray said Vaaltyn was announced earlier in 2025 as the party's candidate for the ward for the 2026 local government elections.
'We're sticking to our plan ,' he said.
'Geraldine has always been somebody that's been on the ground.
'Even before she joined the PA, she was somebody that would attend to the elderly in the ward, she used to come take their blood pressure and help them get their medicines.
'From that, she used to report blocked drains, potholes, sewage, which is a bigger challenge in Ward 34.
'She's a people's person and we believe that Geraldine brings the heart into politics,' he said.
Murray said the PA was coming for a win and had knocked on every door.
'The DA has been running that ward for more than 20 years and the people are still struggling with the same challenges.
'The main roads are still looking like they were when it was apartheid time, when our people were chucked in that ward.
'So after 20 years, the DA has really not done anything other than just collect the seed because they never had any party that could challenge them for that ward,' Murray said.
DA Eastern Cape chair Yusuf Cassim said Stanley emerged as the candidate after recommendations from the party's selection panel and pending the outcome of the appeals process.
Cassim said Stanley had lived in the ward for more than two decades and described her as a dedicated servant of Arcadia, Sanctor, Salsoneville and West End.
'She has a proven record of meaningful community engagement with a focus on fighting crime and rehabilitating former gang members, assisting with issues at local clinics, distributing food, and is a dedicated DA activist.
'Annelize is also a member of the Ward 34 ward committee. She has a clear understanding of the challenges and aspirations of the residents of Ward 34,' he said.
Cassim said the DA was confident in Stanley's ability to meet the demands of the role of councillor and to serve the residents of Ward 34 with distinction.
The Herald
