Local elections: ‘No change, no vote’ – South Africans share their views

Many South Africans said they felt conflicted to cast their votes at the local elections on 1 November 2021.

Louis van der Merwe, a store manager, brought out his vote in Ekurhuleni.

“I am voting and I want to make my voice heard really loudly. The country is a mess and it seems the only way to get out of it is to vote ourselves into a new dispensation. The current municipality has had its opportunities, but all I see around me is crumbling infrastructure and no accountability.

“This is not on and I will vote for the opposition that will have the strength. They will hopefully beat the incumbent council and start governing properly, and not waste my tax money.”

No change, no vote

Alistair Taylor, a tradesman from Boksburg, decided not to vote.

“It makes no difference who I vote for because there is just never any change. I suppose if someone forces me to make my mark, it would be for the DA, but that’s only because my parents have been involved in the party for a long time and I know what they stand for.

“But, as for me casting a vote? Not a chance. Voting for change? What change? The ANC will remain in power and nothing will change. No thank you.”

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It’s all just rubbish

While only a handful of people were voting at the Doug Whitehead School, Madeleine Fullard said these elections were important for the City of Joburg and local residents, as there were a lot of poor and struggling people in their neighbourhood.

“People here in Kensington are poor and we face a lot of challenges,” she said.

“This area has been traditionally a DA stronghold but now I want to see change. So, particularly with rubbish collection, a lot of people do not have rubbish bins and we tend to see a lot of rubbish piled on the street corners. It’s really impacting on the quality of life in the neighbourhood.”

She said the city needed to develop a programme working with waste collectors that supported them and also worked to improve the neighbourhood. Fullard said she was happy to be part of the people making a change.

All talk and no action

Pound Mkhize, 34, is a security guard. “This year I am voting for change. The president and his people talk a lot, but I see no action. There is nothing left and my family is getting poorer. The government does nothing to help us.

“But, I am using the election to shout out loud that I want change – and a lot of change. My vote is more than likely not going to the ANC, but rather a party that can prove to me they are a good alternative to the government that we have today.”

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No bother with promises

Keasha Werner, 20, says she didn’t even bother to register as a voter. “I am just not interested because promises are exactly just that: promises. I do not trust politicians and I do not trust anyone to end up in office that would really have my best interests at heart.

“So by totally ignoring the elections, as if it just doesn’t exist, is my protest. I cannot see myself participating in a system that I have no confidence, trust or belief in – let alone vote for any of the parties on tee ballot paper.”

Tried and trusted

Thornton Oakes, 40, from Kensington is “sticking to the tried and trusted”.

“Better the devil that you know – and I don’t really know anything about the new parties and independents in my ward. This is a weird election with little campaigning that happened, unlike other years when you knew exactly who stood for what. The service delivery in my suburb is not bad, so the current councillor can stay, as far as I’m concerned.

“I know my vote is powerful, that’s why I never miss making my mark.”

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Hoping for a wake-up call

Jade and Kent Gullacksen made voting a family affair yesterday and brought their four-year-old son, Liam, along. The young Fourways couple are passionate about the power of the ballot and believe wholeheartedly that every vote counted.

The couple has a second child on the way and voted to “build a future” for their family. When it came to the factors she took into consideration, Jade said load shedding was without a doubt one.

“It’s important the party I vote for at least has a plan to get it right,” she said.

Regardless of who took it, she believed this election would be “a wake-up call”.

Same old, same old

Pieter Steinberg had all intentions of making his mark but arrived at his local voting station at Norscot Manor Recreation Centre yesterday to find he wasn’t registered.

A regular voter, Steinberg said he had registered previously and didn’t know why he wasn’t on the roll this time around. He was disappointed.

Steinberg came out to vote because he wanted to see change in the country. Front of mind for him was improved service delivery, getting crime down and ending corruption.

“All the main issues of the past 20 years,” he said.

He said while load shedding was irritating, it wasn’t a primary consideration for him.

“It is a big problem but I think there are bigger problems that need to be sorted out,” he said.

He believed if these “bigger problems” were addressed, it would have a knock-on effect to solve the country’s electricity crisis.

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Rosy outlook

Calvin Mentor, 60, from Kensington is “putting on my rose-coloured glasses”.

“Decades of corruption is getting me down – but never down enough to not vote. I firmly believe my vote counts, especially this year because this year I have high hopes. I love all the new kids on the block. They truly opened up the field and I believe – naively maybe – that they will make a difference this time around.

“It’s out with the old and, I hope in my heart of hearts, in with the new. This country desperately needs new blood; new leaders. And this city needs a good mayor… I hope I voted him in.”

Feeling blue

David Mokgohloa of Alexandra said he had mixed emotions and felt conflicted to cast his vote yesterday.

Mokgohloa said although he had been voting for years, the conflict he is feeling stemmed from not receiving any service delivery, regardless of how many times voters hope they will make a difference.

“It’s time we stopped with our sentimental votes and think about how people will make a change and improve our community if they come into power,” he said.

“So, whichever party comes in from today must really take service delivery seriously in all aspects: from creating job opportunities, to giving us lights, rubbish collection and housing, which is the most important thing here in Alex.”

He said he was really hoping for change and believed that by casting his vote he would see the change he wanted.

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Making the right cross and wishing for a job

Donald Vinkombo said he was disappointed to see the turnout of people in Kensington as he wanted to see them exercising their constitutional rights, because it starts with the local elections.

“I’ve just voted now and it’s nice to vote for our rights. But let’s just hope we get jobs and the government creates job opportunities for its people because it starts here,” Vikombo said.

“I’m not here for anything but to exercise my rights and I honestly feel like I have done that now.”

He said people were not working and although a lot of people have matriculated and some have even graduated, in his neighbourhood they were sitting with their qualifications at home and not getting any jobs.

“I’m very excited to cast my vote and play my part but, like I said, it starts here and it starts with us and making our mark,” Vinkombo added.

Little hope for any change

Although she came out to cast her ballot yesterday because she believed it was the right thing to do, Debbie Shelton of Fourways didn’t feel her vote would “make much of a difference”.

She didn’t think any of the parties in the running could solve the problems of poor service delivery or crime but said she believed in the importance of a strong opposition.

Walda Ellerbeck agreed, wholeheartedly, saying: “You need a strong opposition to try and get your voice heard.”

Ellerbeck said her concerns around high crime levels in the city, low employment rates and Eskom’s challenges had
guided her choice in the voting booth.

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Party I love

Biza Moagi said although he’s not as excited as he would love to be, he’s voting for a party that he loves and knows will work for him and put him first.

“I just feel okay voting, because not voting also is still the same as voting and not getting service delivery. So I’m just voting for the party I love, not because of principle, but their understanding.

“We always show up and vote and time and time again we get the same party that you don’t like. So it’s better to vote, knowing who I voted for and what has been happening,” he said.

Moagi added that voting for a party he loves meant that when he had to start complaining about the lack of service delivery and how the government keeps on failing them, he knows that he’s part of the few that wanted to see change.

Up to us

Samuel Rakgopana said voting was important because he’s still hoping for change and won’t lose hope.

“I trust our leaders will make the right choices, as we need all the votes we can get to change our country,” he said.

“I grew up in Alexandra and I’ve learned that sometimes we have to accept that, in life, we don’t get whatever we need.”

However, he said he was very happy that, as a country that came from oppression, he now has an opportunity to vote and speak up about what bothers him.

“We have a say in our own country, including rights and responsibilities, and it’s up to us to make the change we want to see. It’s nice to know that in Mzansi, compared to other countries, we have a say in what happens in our country and can use our rights.”

Life goes on

Themba Mthembu said he’s neither excited, nor sad about this year’s elections as they were just like any other election.
Mthembu said while everyone was taking the day off, those who normally hustle and do not have a secure salary just continue with life as is.

“What are we voting for? I registered to vote, I was ready to vote but, come to think of it, I won’t leave my hustle for greedy people who keep making empty promises,” he said.

“I wish our votes could make a change, if it would be possible for all of us to vote for a party that has our best interests at heart and wants to see us have a better life.”

He said he was looking forward to the national elections so he could prove he was right about the ruling ANC always being in power and robbing the poor.

Contributions by Bernadette Wicks, Hein Kaiser, Reitumetse Makwea, Marizka Coetzer and Carine Hartman.