SOME ELECTIONS LOSERS BLAME BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION

NHLANGANO – Buying of votes, bribery and other corrupt practices are some of the things that certain MP candidates losers believe cost them a seat in the august House.

Some of the candidates, who lost in the Member of Parliament (MP) position, claimed to have voiced out their frustrations with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), but nothing was done. Maseyisini MP candidate Thembelihle Mabuza, who lost in the secondary elections, was of the view that certain laws were not adhered to or were blatantly breached.
Mabuza, in an interview, said they were told not to give food parcels to the electorate but she saw some candidates doing exactly that. However, she conceded that the electorate was more interested in what you brought when campaigning; something she did not do as a first-timer, given the instruction by the EBC. 

According to Mabuza, some of her competitors had been in Parliament in previous years, and she believed they were given funds to campaign. She alleged that food parcels such as rice were freely distributed to the voters, hence they (candidates) were able to capture the electorate’s favour. “The people are hungry and were more interested in food than what you would do for them in Parliament,” she said. Mabuza said she did everything to win the elections and discovered that the voters were fond of her, but her only downfall was that she went to them empty-handed during campaigns. Mabuza did not hesitate to state that she would no longer stand for elections in future as she would not have the financial muscle to compete. The new Maseyisini Constituency MP-elect is Nokuthula Dlamini, who obtained 3 090 votes while Mabuza got 553. Mabuza, however, said she was willing to assist the winning MP in the event she needed help.

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