Five reasons why today's by-election in Nquthu matters

Voting stations for the highly anticipated by-election in the northern KwaZulu-Natal municipality of Nquthu opened at 7am on Wednesday.

The road to this day has been long and littered with several hurdles‚ not only for the political parties vying for the lion's share of the area's 81‚000 voters‚ but also for residents who have been in limbo for nearly 10 months as service delivery stalled.

• Three children die after being struck by car in Nquthu on eve of electionsTragedy struck the northern KwaZulu-Natal area of Nquthu on Tuesday afternoon, the eve of the much-awaited municipal by-elections when three school children died after being knocked by a car. 

There was bloodshed after a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor candidate‚ Zanele Masondo‚ was allegedly attacked by a rival political supporter in her shop.

• Special votes open for Nquthu by-elections in KZNAs the countdown edges closer to by-elections in Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal‚ the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that all 116 voting stations in the municipality were opened for special votes on Tuesday‚ ahead of the by-elections on Wednesday. 

The death of Sphamandla Ngobese‚ an ANC activist‚ shook the ruling party's campaign.

At one time the Hawks arrested Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor candidates after allegations of a plot to assassinate some ANC councillors.

Here is why Nquthu matters:

1. Only council without a mayor: For 10 months and after six attempts‚ Nquthu failed to sit and elect its office bearers‚ resulting in a council without a mayor‚ deputy or speaker.

2. Umzinyathi District Municipality cannot sit without Nquthu: Nquthu is one of four local municipalities under the district and the IFP already controls two - Msinga in Tugela Ferry and eNdumeni in Dundee - while the ANC only controls uMvoti in Greytown. By law‚ all local municipalities under a district have to elect their councils before a district is constituted.

3. ANC leaders and opposition parties have descended on Nquthu to woo voters: The top six ANC members - deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa‚ national chairperson Baleka Mbete‚ secretary-general Gwede Mantashe‚ treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize and several other national executive committee members like Bheki Cele‚ Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma‚ Bathabile Dlamini and Nomvula Mokonyane - all campaigned for the ANC in Nquthu. Battle-hardened IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi‚ DA leader Mmusi Maimane and EFF commander-in-chief Julius Malema all made a strong showing‚ with Malema staying four days in Nquthu.

4. Kingmakers: The DA‚ EFF and the NFP are all vying for king-making status. In all likelihood‚ the winner today between the ANC and the IFP will not have an outright majority. The boisterous campaign of the three parties is to bolster their standing by securing and consolidating the four seats among themselves scooped in the last municipal election.

5. Residents and service delivery: Nquthu matters because residents have been in limbo‚ with several services coming to an abrupt halt. It matters because whoever controls Nquthu between the ANC and the IFP will control the uMzinyathi district‚ thereby controlling the purse and the allocation of resources and bulk services like water‚ sanitation‚ energy and district road constructions.