AS THE Electoral Commission of South Africa braces itself for the final voter registration weekend before the general elections, not everyone is excited about casting their ballot again.
Sophie Mukhari, 65, of Ga-Rankuwa, said she was not interested in the voter registration and the upcoming elections.
The informal trader said: “What could I possibly vote for when we are still struggling and harassed by the same people we have put in power?”
Not far from her, government officials, led by Home Affairs Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele, were encouraging people to ensure they were registered to vote. Cwele was behind the counter at the local Home Affairs office issuing IDs, much to the delight of the visitors.
He had gone there to urge people to apply for and collect their smart, as well as temporary IDs, so that they could register to vote.
But Mukhari, who sells fruits with her daughter and son, said she was disappointed and beyond angry with government, which she stated had failed her in the worst possible way and to a point of no return.
“Do you see where I'm sitting? I should be at home being taken care of by my children. But that is impossible because there are no jobs for young people, and the social grant cannot feed my whole family. So that means I have to work at my age to ensure that my family is taken care of.
“We struggled under the former Bophuthatswana government. The officials at the time would come and kick our stock and take our money, among other things. But that soon changed after we voted for the ANC and Nelson Mandela.
“After the 1994 election, we could sell in peace and felt safe, but that did not last long, and we now have to deal with the Tshwane Metro Police Department, which treats us just as the homeland government did before the turn of democracy.
“Why then should I vote and put people in power who are going to harass me? I will not do such a thing. Then there is nyaope that is killing our young people, yet government is not doing anything about it.”
Mukhari said nyaope had taken over the life of one of her sons, who she had not seen for nine years now. She lives with three of her children and four grandchildren at Klipgat.
Two other people selling their wares no far from her also said they wouldn't vote “because government has done nothing for the youth”.
“It has been 14 years since we applied for houses and to this day we still stay with our parents. I am 42 years old with three children and I am staying at home without a job, so I'm definitely not going to vote,” said another, who asked not to be named.
He said every week, residents protested for better service delivery. “It is time we accept that there will not be any change in South Africa.”
But at Home Affairs, Mapula Malongoane and Matsebe Masemola were over the moon when Cwele handed them their smart IDs.
Malongoane, 78, assured the minister that she was going to vote, and would encourage others to register this weekend and vote in May. “It is not everyday that one comes here and receives their IDs from the minister; I feel like a real queen right now.”
Masemola, 95, said he had been voting since 1994 and would do so again this year. “This is a proud moment for me because I did not expect that the minister would be here to hand me my smart ID card; my day has truly been made.”
Said Cwele: “Just last week Gauteng had more than 90000 uncollected IDs, and today we are sitting at about 55000. I am sure by this weekend the number will have dropped
significantly.”
He urged citizens who had applied to collect their IDs. Home Affairs offices will open tomorrow and on Sunday from 8am to 5pm to give eligible voters a chance to get their IDs.