- Families in Cape Town are hoping their vote will make a difference.
- The community is plagued by drugs, unemployment, gang activity and crime.
- Power supply restrictions are also a top issue for voters.
For the Jacobs family of Mitchell's Plain, there's little to celebrate three decades into democracy.
But this time, they are heading to the polls eager to demand change.
Lauren Jacobs, a 31-year-old mother of two, believes Wednesday's vote marks a turning point for democracy.
She hopes her vote will bring about the much-needed change the country needs.
“Voting seems to be the only way to change the way middle class and poor people live their lives. I vote because I believe this country can be great if led by the right leaders who truly care about their people,” Jacobs said.
Mitchells Plain is one of many areas on the Cape Flats plagued by drugs, unemployment and gang activity.
“Is this what 30 years of democracy looks like? A life of crime surrounded by criminals who have no qualms about attacking people,” Jacobs asked.
Vacant lots are used as playgrounds by gangsters and thugs to commit crimes.
Lisa Lee Solomons / News24
A park where children can't play because of frequent crime in the area.
Lisa Lee Solomons / News24
She said Mitchells Plain was not what she envisioned when she cast her first democratic vote many years ago.
“What has changed? In my view, life is much worse and much harder than it was before. I will be voting on Wednesday and I have every hope that things will get better for everyone across the country,” Jacobs said.
She said the lack of basic services provision has decreased as rapidly as the increase in crime. [have] electricity”.
The Jacobs family were one of the first beneficiaries of the 2013 Cape Town community housing project at Harmony Village.
“If you look back 30 years ago, the crime rate wasn't as bad as it is now. Power outages weren't a problem years ago. We didn't have to worry about stray bullets hitting our children or people being kidnapped in broad daylight.”
On the street near the Jacobs' house, a group of young people sit on a street corner smoking marijuana.
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“They do it every day,” she said.
One young person said he had chosen to drop out of school but was now “busy working for money”.
“It's better than being in a classroom with nagging teachers and students who are only there to please their parents. That's not what I do. I want to make money,” he said.
And he's not going to vote. [fuck]” he cried frankly.
Aziza Rodriguez, 47, a Hanover Park resident, said she was tired of living in a neighborhood plagued by gang shootings and bodies strewn in the streets, especially during power outages.
She accused the current ruling party of “not caring at all” about the impact of electricity restrictions on poor areas.
“If they cared, there would be no blackouts. We've been dealing with this shit for so long and no one is happy about it. And yet the ruling party doesn't seem to care,” Rodriguez said.
“We all want a better life. I'm going to vote with a positive attitude that if I vote, change will happen. Change must happen. We can't live in a cruel world where no one cares. That's not good.”
“Change starts with us, and I believe my vote will make a difference in our daily struggles.”
For Sukumbudzo Sitonga, a 32-year-old father of one from Makaza in Khayelitsha, voting will be about bringing about change in his community.
“I will vote and I still hope that South Africa can be a better country if we, the people, work hard to make a difference,” he said.
Sitonga said change starts with small actions like not littering, not leaving taps running and turning off lights when not in use. Sitonga's sister, Sinazo September, said she voted but didn't expect it to lead to change.
Part of the area has been turned into a garbage dump by residents.
Lisa Lee Solomons / News24
Earth has been dumped in parts of Harmony Village in Mitchells Plain.
Lisa Lee Solomons / News24
The 22-year-old UCT law graduate will be voting for the first time but isn't too excited.
“I was born into poverty and I still live in poverty, even though I'm working hard to improve my life,” she said.
“Despite my family background, I got good grades and got into a top university, but now I'm sitting at home with an honours degree in the hut where I was born,” she said.
But his mother, Noxolo Sitonga, said she had no intention of voting because nothing had changed in the past 30 years.
She said crime and unemployment were major issues in Khayelitsha.
She said a political party she once trusted was advocating for open borders despite South Africa's current challenges.
