Politicians seem to be far removed from communities- Kathorus residents
“Do I think my vote will make a difference? Like many people, I also fall in the category of people who no longer see politics as a way to drive change.”
Many South Africans anticipate hitting the voting polls for the upcoming local government elections in November 2021.
Kathorus MAIL took to the streets to engage with voters about their expectations.
• Malebo Ngwenya from Khumalo told Kathorus MAIL that she has been voting since 2004 without necessarily seeing any change in her ward.
“Do I think my vote will make a difference? Like many people, I also fall in the category of people who no longer see politics as a way to drive change.
“Political leaders have been so disappointing in the way they have carried themselves. They seem to be far removed from communities. We only vote because it is time to vote; we do not have hope in politics,” Ngwenya said.
She said there is a huge backlog of service delivery and housing but most importantly, jobs as there are many unemployed people in the community.
“The local government should find ways to upgrade infrastructure by using people who stay at home during the week and get them into those jobs,” Ngwenya explained.
“The infrastructure in the community is not upgraded to the good standard and level that it can be. “People are not looking for handouts, they are looking for opportunities and that is what is missing right now. People are ready; whether they have degrees or not, those opportunities need to be unlocked so that they can be able to find jobs or start their businesses,” said Ngwenya.
• One of the residents from Katlehong Gardens, Buhle Chiloane, said he expects to see change.
Chiloane said whenever elections approach, they are promised nice things, but after that, politicians disappear and they are only going to see them again after three to five years when it is time for elections.
“Hopefully, they will have the right mindset this time around because they know what people need,” he added.
“The government must focus on the youth because the majority of the people in our communities are the youth,” Chiloane said.
“I would like them to act on youth empowerment in terms of affording them scholarships. Empower them with sustainable resources to create jobs for themselves because youth unemployment is crippling our communities,” he said.
• Musa Magayi said expectations are forever there but they are not reached.
Magayi said he cannot speak on his expectations because they are the same issues as the community’s.
He said whoever people vote for must work for the community because everything starts small, citing that if they are going to wait for President Cyril Ramaphosa then the community will suffer.
“Our wish is for the person who will be voted into office to engage with us because some of the challenges we experience are basic things, they need a collective understanding. When there is collectivism, we can share ideas as people who know the challenges in the community,” said Magayi.
“In the upcoming local elections, we will be investing powers in councillors and the mayor,” he said.
“The people would be waiting for infrastructure, like roads while the councillor waits for the municipality. When you occupy that office, you can go to the private sector to seek assistance,” he continued.
“For example, you can approach companies like Scaw Metals and explain that you have a certain number of people who wake up every morning to go to work but they still do not have roads in their communities. We cannot wait for the municipality,” said Magayi.
He added as huge as the Katlehong township is, it does not have even one swimming pool, which he described as a basic need for children.
“Children are all over the streets because there are no activities for them.
“When you want to do school research or any kind of research, you have to walk 30 minutes to Palm Ridge. By the time you get there, you only have 30 minutes to complete your research. Those are some of the challenges we face,” he concluded.
