Obed Thabana SACP's first councillor candidate for contested Polokwane ward

JOHANNESBURG - South African Communist Party (SACP) member Obed Thabana said he feels no pressure as the organisation’s first councillor candidate since it announced it will contest elections on its own. 
 
At last year’s congress, the SACP reaffirmed its decision to no longer contest elections under the African National Congress (ANC) banner as part of the tripartite alliance. 
 
Thabana is the party’s candidate for the hotly-contested ward 13 of Polokwane municipality.
  
The SACP said this by-election will serve as a litmus test for its campaign in the upcoming local government elections. 
 
A win will show the party can rise from the shadows of the ANC, while a loss could potentially deflate its campaign. 
 
“We have done door-to-door, we have visited many households, and we have been warmly received. I don’t remember being chased out. So, we are very much inspired, we don’t feel any pressure, we are very excited, and we believe we are going to win these by-elections based on the reactions of the voters and residents of this ward," said Thabana.
 
Thabana said what sets him apart from the other candidate is that he was born and raised in Seshego and has a long history of political activism.