Disgruntled voters will still vote ANC
WHILE many ANC voters in the city are unhappy with service delivery, corruption and the non-performance of their councillors, they said that they would continue to vote for the ANC.
ANC national executive committee (NEC) members, including deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane and NEC member Tina Joemat-Pettersson, visited Roodepan this weekend ahead of the by-election in ward 1 on February 22.
Mokonyane, speaking at Lucretia Primary School on Saturday, said, however, that they were not in Kimberley just because the by-election would be taking place this coming week.
She told voters that load shedding would be an issue of the past, as a new Minister of Energy would be appointed.
“Solar panels will be put on roofs to provide power to homes. We need to stop cable theft and work with the private sector to provide electricity,” said Mokonyane.
She added that they would intervene to enable residents of the Roodepan flats to be the title deed holders of their homes.
“Some people have been staying there for the past 37 years. We will request the Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, the provincial chairperson of the ANC and the Sol Plaatje executive mayor to assist.”
She pointed out that ward councillors were supposed to hold community meetings at least once a month.
During the event on Saturday, vehicles had to navigate through a road that is in the process of being dug up, while traffic was jammed on the pavement where cars had to pass.
A number of dignitaries, as well as supporters, who had been sitting in the hot sun, said they were thirsty and wanted water.
A 13-year-old girl said she had been at the venue since early in the morning and was hungry and thirsty.
One supporter said that she was given a bottle of water that was “hot”.
While Mokonyane was delivering her keynote address, a large crowd rushed out of the tent towards a bakkie that they thought would hand out refreshments, but it had none.
One supporter fell onto the ground after the back legs of his chair gave in.
A city resident, Melanie Soois, said that she was upset that her pothole project in Colville had been “hijacked” by the ANC.
“I was told that there was no money. I asked for R500,000 for my project, which would employ between 16 to 20 youths … I wanted to train the drug addicts and homeless kids in my project. After submitting my business proposal, a pothole project was launched where 300 bags of cement were donated by Gift of the Givers, yet not one pothole has been fixed.”
Soois added that she would nonetheless still vote for the ANC in the upcoming elections.
Another ANC voter was unhappy with the ANC ward councillor in Lethabo Park.
“I don’t know who she is, I have never seen her. There are electricity problems, she is never available when the community is looking for her. We are fed up.”
Another ANC supporter, Herbert Tebogo Booi, felt that the ruling party had failed him.
“I lost my house due to corruption and my wife passed away in 2020 and left me to look after our three young children - aged two, eight and 10. I now stay in Ivory Park in a shanty and I am unemployed. I have been from pillar to post and the ANC leadership is unable to help me - like they claim to care for its people. I am desperate and struggling but I will give the ANC another chance and vote for them, if they can stop their corruption,” said Booi.
A group of supporters from the Phokwane municipal district wanted to hand over a letter to the ANC regional chairperson, Mangaliso Matika, calling for better services.
They queried a number of multimillion-rand tenders that were supposed to repair infrastructure, such as the wastewater treatment plants in Pampierstad and Jan Kempdorp, the construction of bulk electricity supply, the renovation of the Hartswater traffic station, the repair of high-voltage cable joints and switchgear in Jan Kempdorp and road repairs that never materialised.
ANC Youth League provincial chairperson Venus Blennies stated that unemployment in the Northern Cape had increased to 321,000 during the first quarter, compared to 264,000 in the fourth quarter.
“Youths have nothing to do and are feeling hopeless and depressed,” said Blennies.
She added that the youth were the “most affected” by load shedding as they were reliant on digital communication.
“Youths want to be included at the helm of renewable and green energy projects.”
She stated that the ANC ward candidate, Ferguson Morris Moses, was a young person who wanted to improve the lives of citizens in ward 1.
