As we all stood in rows to vote in the fifth national election, I got quite nostalgic about the privilege of voting.
I cannot imagine living again in a world where people are excluded to this basic right to say who they want as our country’s leaders.
At the voting station where I voted, as well as those I visited during the day, many people queued to exercise their right.
There were long rows where people stood for hours and at other places people went straight in to make their crosses.
The excitement at each voting station, even at those where no-one said a word, was electrifying.
But, what I will always remember is the special smile on each one’s face upon their return from a voting station.
What shocks me is that not all South Africans went to vote. It seems that just over 70% of the country’s citizens voted last week.
Voting brings the power to the leaders that govern a country.
It is the cross you and I made, put together, that determines which party leads our country for the next five years.
Although many communities believe in toyi-toying to get action and attention from government, voting, in my eyes, is the best way to show who you want as representative in parliament, the province or in the municipality you are living in.
Voting is something very emotional and personal, simply because you are crossing your mark all by yourself and no-one knows where that cross lies on your ballot.
But our responsibility towards our country and city does not stop at the voting station.
The people we vote for are accountable to their voters.
This will only happen if we, as the voters, continuously hold them accountable in whatever way possible.
There are three parts in government.
We voted for the people going to parliament (national) and for our provincial legislature last week.
The election for the local government or municipal representatives will only be in 2016.
This is for the ward councillor, the politician closest to you.
Regardless of what party the ward councillor represents in council, he or she has the ability to connect with province or national representatives.
The question is, do you know who your ward councillor is?
You, as the voter, are supposed to inform him or her on what’s wrong on your street.
But, often we choose not to “like” this person and sit and grumble in our homes (or call the local newspaper).
To build a country and city needs the work of each one living there, the politicians we voted for as well as the voters and non-voters.
This is what we have to do now, after the hype of voting has passed.
I sometimes wonder about our town, called Springs and the complaints we regularly get from residents.
This town, almost big enough to be a city, has a history of mining glory and has a future that we, the residents will make of it.
We cannot throw our hands in the air and give up on the place we live and work in.
We can choose to criticise and do nothing or we can choose to build the city.
But I hear some of our readers say: “We still live here with potholes, with street lights not working, with all kinds of inconveniences.”
Yes, that is right, but remember we have a choice.
The most common complaint I get from residents is against the municipality and that it does not give the voters what they believe they are entitled to.
All around us we see the remnants of mining and it feels as if this town becomes a place where nothing happens for days.
But are we breaking down or building up our city and country when we keep on complaining and speaking negative words?
As I said, building a city begins with each one of us.
There are many ways in which every citizen can play their part.
The biggest eyesore in any South African city is refuse strewn all over especially in our central business districts.
Well, someone had strewn the rubbish in our streets and clean streets starts with me, because when I stop throwing stuff around, there will be less for others to pick up.
That’s why each of us can do something to have a better place of residence and workplace.
A light in the tunnel, a flicker of light in Springs is the people I met that took responsibility to clean up their own street corners.
They take money out of their pocket to pay unemployed men and women to clean up in specific places.
There are also people that are helping the poor and unemployed with food and clothing with no fanfare.
Springs Mall that will inject many millions of Rands into the city is another flame of hope to our city.
The D’Arigo family, second generation business people, who grew up here, plans to build this mall and keep the consumers in Springs.
Imagine going to your favourite coffee shop at the mall around the corner?
