Cape Town - Capetonians on Thursday showed little interest in listening to President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address, citing a lack of trust in the country's top politician.
Amid the rush of city workers on busy Adderley Street, people appeared annoyed at being stopped and asked what they expected from Zuma's speech at a joint sitting of Parliament's two houses on Thursday evening.
“I don't think there's anything you can expect from someone like that. I just don't have any expectations from this useless government,” one man muttered as he tried to make his way to a working lunch.
“Who cares what Zuma says. I'm sleeping under a bridge. These people are just promising when they want us to vote but they don't do f*k*l for us,” said Masixole Ntshinga.
“He's sitting in that chair and he promised so many jobs but he never do nothing.”
A security guard told Sapa he had very little interest in politics.
“I don't involve myself in politics because I don't trust politicians.”
Portia Nomathemba said her wish list was so long, it would take days to communicate.
“I want a house, I want jobs...” said Nomathemba.
“I want less taxes,” was Colin Dickinson's simple request. Dickinson said he had not reached the point where he was willing to write the government off just yet.
“I'm sure there'll be changes in our country for the better. I hope so,” he said.
Abraham Adams had an axe to grind with banks, insurance companies, and investment firms.
“Zuma must stop the financial services industry from exploiting the poor working class who have been ripped off by the this sector since 1910,” Adams said.
“I call all of them financial expert parasites.”
He said although this was his wish, he had little hope it would happen with the current political guard in Parliament.
“These people who now campaigning for the next elections for the new Parliament, they gonna make us a lot of empty promises. Somebody needs to stand up against all these political con artists who are only in it for the money.”
Sapa