Political analyst Enock Maponya said the current electoral system makes it difficult for independents to win elections. All 11 independents who ran in this year's general election failed to win any seats in state or legislative assemblies.
The Electoral Law Amendment Bill, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last year, allows individuals to stand in general elections as independent candidates.
Former welterweight boxing champion Lovemore Ndu was also among the contenders, having initially committed to competing at the national level before dropping his focus to Limpopo.
Ndu won just over 500 votes in the hotly contested 2024 general election and believes some voters who intended to vote for him mistakenly voted for another party.
“I lost my vote to BOSA. When I started my campaign, I was campaigning as BABSA, but about a month before the election, the IEC told me that I should campaign under my own name as an independent candidate. But it was already too late, because many people were already used to BABSA and some of the radio stations also called me the president of BABSA. In the end, when people went to vote, they couldn't find BABSA and the closest one was BOSA. Some people called me and told me that they voted for me as BOSA.”
Ndu says he plans to register political parties as he begins preparations for the 2026 local elections.
“It is not easy to contest as an independent candidate. I believe the system is designed in such a way that independent candidates fail. If you look at the numbers, it takes more time to secure one seat compared to political parties. Political parties need just over 45,000 votes, but we need twice that amount. So, contesting as an independent candidate was not the best solution, but I am sure I will do better if I contest as BABSA in 2026 and 2029.”
Maponya, the political analyst, said the current electoral system meant it remained an uphill task for independent candidates to win seats.
“This system was established by the Congress and is doomed to fail. How do you expect individuals to compete with political parties instead of contesting against candidates of a particular party? Secondly, how do you expect them to cover the entire state by canvassing door to door? Where will they get the money to buy posters?”
In Limpopo, three independent candidates stood in the general election: Lovemore Ndu, Faith Fatela and Blessings Ramoba.
– Reported by Avhapfani Munyai