BANNED DRIVER: Nymhardt Black (48) sits in the car with his wife Debbie Black (40) after voting and wait to speak to an IEC member to lodge their complaint. Photo: Luke Matthews
By: Palesa Tshandu and Anazi Zote
A tow-truck driver was fired from his job yesterday when his employer would not allow him to miss work to vote in yesterday’s general elections.
Nymhardt Black (48) who was an employee at A1 Assist in Industria, North Roodeport said he lost his job because he took off from work to cast his vote.
According to Black, his former employer told him to “come park your truck because you’re fired”. Black responded by saying, “We can’t get fired because we want to vote.”
The frustrated former employee lodged a complaint with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the hopes of arguing for his right to participate in the elections.
The employer, who is a manager at the tow-trucking company refused to give Wits Vuvuzela comment on the matter.
Black, who is the sole bread winner in his family of four, does not regret losing his job in exchange for exercising his right to vote but said, “My wife is not happy that I got fired.”
He says the decision for leaving his job is also related to the working conditions at the company. His lack of regret for losing his job is also related to the bad working conditions at the company. He only earned R1300 per week, which amounted to R5200 per month while working the whole day, every day.
He does not wish to return to his former job but is currently looking for a new one.
According to the latest national poll results from the two voting stations at Wits University, the ANC is sitting comfortably at the top with a 58.0% lead from the Old Mutual Sports Hall station and a 49.47% lead from the Education Campus station.
The provincial vote sees no change in the ranking order, with the ANC obtaining 50.36% from the Old Mutual Sports Hall station (DA at 28.17%) and a lower 42.97% from the Education Campus station with the DA following closely behind at 37.93%.
Nationally and provincially, the EFF has come in third each time, obtaining roughly 11% of the vote from the Wits voting stations. The party’s highest voting percentage of 11.1% came from Old Mutual Sports Hall, which is for the provincial elections.
Jarrod Delport, supporter of the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO), says he’s “overjoyed and elated” with the mark the DA has made both provincially and nationally.
“[The results] show that many South Africans, one in four to be precise, are rejecting corruption and choosing the policies of the DA. The party is the only party that has consistently grown since 1994 and will continue to do so.”
National results from the University of Johannesburg’s Auckland Park Campus in Westdene put the ANC firmly on top with 63.84% of the vote. With 483 valid votes, the DA comes in second with 18.02% and the EFF is third with 9.01%. Agang and Cope have made no impact.
Students have taken to Twitter to express their feelings about the results. Wits student Mothusi Mothopeng tweeted the following: “Just realized that by the time the national election comes along I will be a Wits graduate #ThankYouANC”.
Results from feeder areas around Wits University show a slightly different order of things. Voters at Holy Family College in Parktown put the DA on top nationally with 50.9%. ANC came in second with 31.58% and the EFF third with 7.21%.
National results from the Braamfontein Metropolitan Centre show the ANC leading by a large gap with 62.24%. The EFF is in second position with 16.09%.
A Wits student tweeting from the account of @Tebza808 said that the results from Rosebank Primary School where the DA is leading with 69.21% “seem legit”.
Referring to the ANC’s lead from votes at the Wits Education Campus, Witsie Tebogo Thothela tweeted: “We thank all students at education campus, we came out and voted ANC”.
Zareef Minty, Wits student and member of the Patrotic Alliance (PA), spoke about the top three parties. He believes the ANC has campaigned really well and says “it’s great to see the ANC taking initiative”.
Minty added that the DA has seen an upliftment in its campaign and believes DA’s Mmusi Maimane has done a “great job”.
Commenting on the EFF, Minty says the EFF is definitely a “dark horse” and has done well considering the party only was formed a mere 8 months ago.
Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) president Shafee Verachia says he is “more happy that students voted,” but he declined to comment on the elections results.
Final confirmation of results is expected on Saturday, May 10.
On Wednesday a small group of ANC supporters rallied behind their party by dancing near the Old Mutual Sports Hall where the Wits voting station was. The singing was so loud that potential voters heard them while standing in line to vote. Photo: Luke Matthews
Roxanne Joseph and Thabile Manala
Bright and early on Wednesday morning, well before the polls had even opened, many students gave up their holiday slumber to join the long, snaking lines to cast their vote at Wits at the Old Mutual Sports Hall, on Education Campus and in their own neighbourhoods.
Despite the reported apathy among the youth, a large number of first-time voters came out to mark their ‘X’ at Wits.
Others trickled in steadily throughout the day and the lines remained long right up until the polls closed at 9pm.
“I like the numbers and am very impressed with the turnout at Wits,” said Mcebo Sisulu, an honours student in mathematical statistics.
He admitted that he was nervous about the elections and the apparent lack of enthusiasm of the youth.
Born-frees stepped up despite apathy
In the days and months leading up to the elections, the media became fascinated by the born-free generation, those who were born after South Africa became a democracy in 1994.
They were expected to not make a difference to the results, as they only made up 2.5% of the 25 million registered voters, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Only about a third of born-frees had even registered to vote.
Earlier in the week, Wits Vuvuzela spoke to a number of born-frees, many of whom were choosing not to vote due to a general sentiment of apathy.
“I’m not inspired enough to vote,” said Zongezile Qeba, 2nd year Chemical Engineering. He said his generation wanted to “forget about the past”.
“Maybe it’s because the educated, young people are more politicised and more likely to vote.”Prof Daryl Glaser
Despite being well aware of the country’s history, many born-frees have little faith in our politicians and political engagement is not a big priority for many.
But the apathetic young were nowhere to be seen on election day, where thousands of first-time voters showed up to stand in long queues at Wits from the early hours of Wednesday to long after the sun had set.
When asked how her first-time voting was, third-year law student Boitumelo Rammala said, “It was amazing. I’m going to do it every time, over and over again.”
“I was excited, because it was my first time and all,” said fourth-year law student Lethokuhle Ntombela.
Prof Daryl Glaser, head of the politics department, said student turnout at Wits was encouraging, despite registration being disappointing amongst the youth as a whole.
“[The turnout of first-time voters] was encouraging. Maybe it’s because the educated, young people are more politicised and more likely to vote,” Glaser said.
SRC president Shafee Verachia set the example when he was caught by Wits Vuvuzela helping his 86-year-old grandmother to the voting station in Malboro Gardens. A first-time voter himself, Verachia said he was voting for the South Africans who participated in the struggle to liberate the nation.
“Personally, it’s about honouring the generation before me, they made the sacrifices for me to have this right to make this vote today,” he said.
The reactions that Wits Vuvuzela got from some of the voters after casting their votes ranged between nervousness and disbelief.
First-year Bracken Hall was unsure he made the right choice with his vote. “I am not a 100% [sure] but, like, any change is a good change,” Hall said.
“It’s great it’s just that I don’t know if I made the right choice… I can’t believe I did that. I actually did not vote for the ANC”, said Wits alumnus Thulani Dyasi.
Muzi Mbatha said: “ I voted for the EFF … I also think I exercised my right to vote.”
Voting out of obligation
Many of the youth were torn between voting out of obligation to the ANC, with their history in mind, and voting for another party. “It’s not difficult for people to be very conflicted by this. People have a strong connection to the ANC,” said Prof Devan Pillay. “Many are conflicted because of their performance and especially because of the current president, [Jacob] Zuma. We don’t have a credible opposition,” he said.
“It’s the classic abused-wife syndrome. It fits in perfectly with people’s attitudes of the ANC. People always go back and are always hoping for change.”
According to Pillay, university students are, as potential members of the middle class, easily sold on all the gains brought by the ANC, such as being able to go to Wits. “Getting them to think differently is a bit of a crisis.”
Glaser said the turnout at Wits is an indication of a more positive future in political engagement for the youth.
“Each generation brings a certain set of strengths to politics. The young bring energy and idealism,” said Glaser.
“They have the longest horizon in the future to look forward to. They should start thinking about how they want to shape it.”
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to Witsies right after they had cast their votes at the main campus voting station. If you are unable to view the full video, click here.
Camels, jumping castles and free falafels were all part of the unusual 66th Israel Independence Day celebrations at Wits yesterday.
But while some Witsies crossed the library lawns on the back of a camel, the Wits Palestinian Solidarity Committee (PSC) held a film screening to protest the celebrations.
The film based on the life of “terrorist” fighter Leila Khaled was used as a means of showing the desperation of the Palestinian people who are fighting for their independence.
While the film was being screened, some members of the Wits PSC protested on the library lawns alongside the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJUS) who celebrated Israel’s independence.
Several protesters said Israel had blood on its hands because the state was created “through the blood of Palestinians.”
Members of the Wits PSC insisted that while the film focused on violent means of protest, the PSC itself believed in a non-violent approach to the dispute between the two nations. Aaliyah Mohammed, a member of the PSC, says the committee fights by calling for sanctions and boycotts on Israeli academic, cultural and sport activities.
Another committee member, Muhammed Ismail Bulbulia added: “Until the very end, I would fight for what I believe in provided I’m justified in fighting for it.”
Both the protest and the celebrations were conducted next to each other but no incidents were reported.
FREE, NOT TO VOTE: Many ‘born-free’ South Africans are staying away from the polls in this year’s national general elections. PHOTO: File.
Although it’s only been 20 years since South Africa achieved democracy, an entire generation, known as the “born-frees” is already showing signs of political fatigue with nearly one million of them choosing not to vote.
Tomorrow, and on just one day, South Africans will take to the polls and cast their vote in this year’s national general elections but the ‘babies’ of a free South Africa are not clamouring to the polls as was anticipated.
In staying away from the polling booths, the children of democracy, who are supposed to be proud to make their mark for the first time, are effectively failing the nation. But their reasons for standing on the sidelines on such a momentous day are varied.
“I’m not voting because … I believe that regardless of who I vote for the ANC (African National Congress) will win … I feel as though it’s between the ANC and the DA (Democratic Alliance), and I don’t really mind who wins between the two,” said Dominic Dandajena, a BCom student from the University of Pretoria.
Sadly, South Africa is no longer a democratic country
A common excuse was the high levels of corruption among politicans. “They [politicians] are extremely corrupt. Especially the ruling party politicians, but nothing is being done about it,” said Mpho Mile, a student from the International Hotel School.
“Our country’s politicians are not exemplary. Most of them do not possess the qualities of a good leader and this leads to them leading the nation astray often,” says Lesego Pitsi, a performing arts student from the State Theatre, in Pretoria..
Others feel political engagement is very far down their list of priorities even though it takes just a couple of hours to cast one’s vote.
“This [degree] is important to me right now, so I am more focused on this than I am on politics,” said Gemma Cooke-Tonnesen, a BCom Accounting student at Wits.
“However, I believe I still need to take an interest in politics.” Despite this sentiment, she is not registered to vote tomorrow.
While born-frees are well aware of South Africa’s history, they would prefer to “forget about the past,” according to Zongezile Qeba, a second year chemical engineering student from Wits. This has manifested itself in the form of apathy and for many, the decision not to vote.
“Sadly, South Africa is no longer a democratic country, but rather a crazy country that continuously tosses to and fro.”
Qeba is choosing not to vote because he, like many of his generation, are not “inspired enough”.
Born-frees are special
Even though she won’t be voting, Mile believes being a ‘born-free’ means she is already privileged: “Being a born-free, I have numerous amounts of opportunities. That doesn’t mean everything will be handed to me without no effort. There are opportunities that we are given the resources to attain,” she said.
“The born-free generation represent an era of redemption, a generation that is free from all forces of apartheid,” said Pitsi.
While the small percentage of registered born-frees is worrying, these elections will have an impact on them whether or not they choose to vote. The government and leaders elected into power will ultimately set the agenda for the youth, even those who care little about politics.
Getting a degree and finding employment after school will always be a priority for young people but if there’s one thing these elections have taught the nation, it’s that an entire generation of South Africans have already moved on from the past and need issues of the present and future to be taken very seriously, very quickly.
The ANC’s Minister Ebrahim Patel, eNCA’s host Jeremy Maggs and the DA’s Tim Harris at last night’s final Wits Great Debate. Photo: Bongiwe Tutu
With just five days until the national general elections, Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel and the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Tim Harris punted job creation at last night’s Wits Great Debate.
This was the final event in a series of five, titled “The final countdown,” with both speakers focusing on their parties’ plans for economic growth.
[pullquote]“Cutting corruption leads to jobs for all”[/pullquote]
“Our plan is to create six million real jobs,” said Harris, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Finance. “Cutting corruption leads to jobs for all.”
Patel, an African National Congress (ANC) MP, challenged Harris’ attempts to discredit the ANC’s track record in job creation. He argued that StatsSA has information showing the success of the ANC’s job creation initiatives. “The information is publicly available, I suspect the information is very embarrassing and therefore the DA has chosen not to publicise it,” he said.
When asked by Patel if the DA will reach its target of 30% Harris responded by saying that they [the DA] “the fastest growing party since 1994.”
Last elections, they got 16.7% of the vote, nationally and this election are aiming for “significantly more than that,” according to Harris.
Neither of them would commit to a specific number, although the ANC is aiming for a two thirds majority, according to Patel. Both spoke of growth and overwhelming support for their respective parties, constantly making reference to job creation.
While the DA’s “upbeat, positive” plan is to create six million real jobs, according to Harris, the ANC plans to “build on the strength of what we’ve done well and learn from our mistakes,” according to Patel.
Both Harris and Patel “blinded us all with very elegant statistics,” said debate host, Jeremy Maggs. He asked both representatives to explain exactly how their parties plan on creating “six million real jobs.” Both avoided directly answering the question and instead continued to emphasise the importance of job creation.
Harris told Wits Vuvuzela after the debate that theirs (DA) was a three-tiered plan which involves reforming the labour laws and ensuring that workers have a say as to when they go on strike. This will enable “businesses to grow and hire more workers,” he said.
ANC and DA supporters at last night’s final installment in the Wits Great Debate series. Photo: Anazi Zote
As South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy, the question of how free a country we are remains up in the air. For some, their lives haven’t changed all that much. They can still go wherever they want without question, pick and choose where they go to school, get a good education and generally speaking, live a nice, comfortable life.
But for many- in fact, most, this is not the case. While apartheid laws may have fallen away, the majority of South Africans still live in poverty, do not receive free and quality education and do have access to basic, fundamental rights, including healthcare, safety and security, and housing.
Achievements and failures of SA post-apartheid
Economically speaking, the government has built up its economic policies, but let’s be honest, how much worse could it possibly get than it was during apartheid, when the international community was placing sanctions on South Africa left, right and centre? For the sake of positivity and “looking forward”, let’s just say that our economy is doing relatively well on the whole.
[pullquote]How can I celebrate Freedom Day when so many of my generation didn’t get the opportunities that I did?[/pullquote]
When it comes to education, on the other hand, the ANC-led government has failed abysmally. In 2011, the Department of Basic Education released a report in which it stated the following statistics:
-3 544 schools do not have electricity.
-2 402 schools have no water supply.
-913 do not have any ablution facilities while 11 450 schools are still using pit latrine toilets.
-Over 400 schools in the Eastern Cape are classified as “mud-schools”, many of them consisting of mud and shacks.
While our Constitution prescribes a free and equal education for all, the government has failed to deliver, and, after fighting for almost six years, the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga finally signed a legally binding document called the Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure. She has been given exactly one year to ensure that these norms and standards are applied to every (government) school in the country.
Despite that small achievement, the issue of a lack of qualified potential employees still remains. An inadequate education system has led to a generation who lack the skills and ability to further their education and many have become reliant on government hand-outs. As well as affecting individuals, this will in time have a negative effect on the economy, when we are not able to compete globally.
Dozens of NGOs continue to fight for basic fundamental rights, especially in the township areas. In these areas, home invasions, theft, gangsterism, rape and murder are rife. Residents have to walk for several kilometres to go to the toilet and sometimes, those late night trips result in violent attacks and crime sprees.
[pullquote]Apartheid may have ended 20 years ago, but South Africa still has a long way to go before we can feel free to celebrate freedom.[/pullquote]
Then there’s public service and the healthcare system. HIV/AIDS has become the number one killer across Africa in the past two decades and South Africa is no exception. While anti-retrovirals (ARVs) have become readily available to those who need it, a lack of education, a stigma attached to the illness and inadequate public service delivery (largely due to corruption) hinder the entire process and people continue to die, untreated, on a daily basis.
Inequality, the biggest problem of them all
Finally, there’s the issue of inequality. As a white- middle-class student I am not actively affected by it. I have all I need and probably always will. But, as a registered voter in this year’s elections and a proud South African, I see and feel the effects of inequality every single day. How can I celebrate Freedom Day when so many of my generation didn’t get the opportunities that I did? When I’ve visited schools with 100 children in a class? When my childhood home is just kilometres away from a township? When I look into the face of a homeless man, woman or child at every traffic light I drive through?
All of these reasons (and many, many more) make it difficult to feel as if we are a truly free, equal and democratic society. Apartheid may have ended 20 years ago, but South Africa still has a long way to go before we can feel free to celebrate freedom.
African males suffer the most discrimination in higher education, the Gauteng Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said on Thursday.
The organisation claimed the share of African males in higher education had been stuck at 28 percent since 2000. The party said it planned on writing a report evaluating racial and gender imbalances in higher education institutions in Gauteng.
The EFF made this claim at a press briefing headlined by its candidate for premier, Dali Mpofu, in Braamfontein.
The EFF said that if it won election in Gauteng, it would immediately implement a 100-day plan that includes holding a “youth summit” made up of young people from across the province.
Mpofu said the EFF would launch “Youth Entrepreneur Centres” that would offer free office space and Wifi access to youth business.
Mpofu said Wifi stations would be set up within the 100 days all over Gauteng, “institutions and centres will have to apply and consultations will be held, we will then prioritise it according to where it is needed.”
OPTIMISTIC: EFF Gauteng premier candidate Dali Mpofu addressing the media on issues relating to the elections and the 100 day plan for province.
As the new kid on the block, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have been getting a lot of press—good and bad- fighting to become a recognised society at Wits. Roxanne Joseph spoke to Mbe Mbhele, the coordinator of Wits EFF, and asked him…
What are your thoughts on a possible coalition between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the EFF?
I don’t think it’s possible, because the DA fundamentally stands opposed to everything the EFF stands for. As Julius Malema said, “the EFF has only one objective in these elections, and that is to win.”
Are you a recognised society yet?
We are now a recognised society on campus. We applied and the SRC approved our application a week or two ago. SRC president Shafee Verachia stated we are now an official society at Wits.
What do you think of the SRC’s initial reaction to the EFF’s application?
The SRC stated they would not allow us to be a recognised society. They were hostile towards us and still are because we threaten the same constituency that they represent.
In the upcoming SRC elections, are you going to put candidates forward and what’s your plan in doing so?
Our conditions on the ground will determine whether or not we have EFF people in the elections. I don’t see a reason why not, though. We are for the advancement of students and in order to achieve the objectives we want to achieve, such as free and quality education for all, we need to operate within the structures [at Wits].
What do you think your presence has been like on campus and what are your plans for the next two weeks, in the run up to the elections on May 7?
We’ve been doing a lot of door-doors. Each and every conversation that we have involves campaigning and canvassing to vote for the EFF. There is a possibility that national leadership, like Floyd [Shivambu, EFF Commissar and Chief of Staff] will join us in our visits and on campus.
Does the PYA still have a presence on campus?
I think it’s unfair to speak of them, as we are focused on our own objectives, but I have not seen the PYA on campus this year. We, on the other hand, have been present and achieved things for students. For example, we opened up applications for all clubs and societies who were also denied recognition.
Do you think that will get you more votes?
Look, the response has been overwhelming. You walk around campus in your red beret and people come up to you, they want to know what the EFF is all about. We will get a lot of votes from students, as a microcosm of society.
Sell the EFF to students and young voters out there.
The EFF recognises that before we are students, we are members of communities. We are only in university for four years, but then we go out and get jobs in the real world. We need to be active participants in the economy, so our presence is not just within the borders of university. We stand for free and quality education for all, which directly relates to all students. The price of education is being commodified and students cannot afford a decent meal in the Matrix because it is outsourced. There are many issues we want to deal with on campus.
Pre-recorded videos and live-streams from the other provinces were projected onto the wall behind the panel. From left to right: Khadija Patel, DJ Fresh, Kagiso Lediga, Shaka Sisulu and facilitator Tumelo Mothotoane. Photo: Pheladi Sethusa
For a group of people largely labelled apathetic, the youth in attendance at a debate on a Tuesday morning, braving the temperamental and rainy Joburg weather – were anything but apathetic.
Yesterday, JoziHub in Milpark was the venue for the To Vote or not to Vote debate aimed at so-called ‘born-frees’.
Bornfrees stand up
There is a particular fascination with this year’s youth vote as this year the “born-free” generation, children born in 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, will vote for the first time. How they vote and who they plan on voting for are of particular interest because they have grown up in a democratic South Africa.
Lesedi Molefi of the organisers Live magazine said in the past three months they have interviewed a number of born-frees and found that, “we’re not apathetic and have an incredible role to play,” not only in these elections but in steering the country’s future.
The panel consisted of comedian Kagiso Lediga, journalist Khadija Patel (@khadijapatel), DJ and tweleb DJ Fresh (@DJFreshSA) and social activist Shaka Sisulu (@shakasisulu). The panelists were chosen because they are seen as accessible to the youth and their ideas.
[pullquote]”we’re not apathetic and have an incredible role to play”[/pullquote]
Why should born-frees vote?
Addressing the question, why should born-frees vote, Lediga said: “If you’re not voting, you’re not participating.” DJ Fresh added that participation goes beyond just voting, part of that civic duty is to hold politicians accountable. Sisulu provided an anecdote to explain further: “If you’re dating someone, you can’t see them once every five years – it won’t work, it’s a one night stand then. Put your ballot in the box but make sure to maintain and nurture that relationship over the five years coming.”
The debate was live streamed from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Ginsberg, King Williams Town with questions coming from all three places to the panel. A common complaint from all three provinces was that the youth were never heard. DJ Fresh responded by saying the onus was on political parties to appeal to the youth on their level through channels like twitter and instagram: “Politicians talk at young people and not to them.”
The focus in the latter part of the debate was on what the born-free vote can achieve and individual agency. Patel said, “agency is important – it means having the power within yourself to do something.” The crowd responded well to this and the conversation started to look at ground level solutions and social activism that gear them in that direction.
Lethabo Bogatsu, a self proclaimed born-free said the talk left her feeling empowered and keen to be an active citizen, “I was always going to vote but now I’m not going to stop there. It’s not just the vote and then I’m done. I’m going to work on the relationship, my man is going to be my vote, my political involvement is going to be my man. I’m going to have a relationship there because being single is rough.”
REGISTERED: Drama students Kelly Heckstein and Ashleigh Kelly talk politics during lunch hour at the Wits Theatre. Photo: Caro Malherbe
South Africans have until 5pm tonight to register to vote for the 2014 national general elections. It is still unclear though whether the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will see the number of registered voters they were aiming for.
Wits Vuvuzela was on main campus today asking students if they had registered to vote for the upcoming elections.
Are you registered?
Ashleigh Kelly is a BA Drama student who strongly believes that it is important to vote but said she identified with people who opted not to vote.
“Not wanting to vote comes from the fact that we don’t know who to vote for. Democratic parties haven’t, especially with the born-frees, given us enough reason to trust their party,” she said.
Sitting next to her on the brick wall outside the Wits Theatre, Kelly Heckstein, a BA Performance and Visual Arts student, said she is registered to vote and plans on voting.
“If we want a say in how the country is run then we should vote and to make sure the majority rule is not an overriding rule and there are certain voices in parliament that can help.”
[pullquote]“As the youth, we are smarter than people in power right now so we know how to think about things and implement them, so if we are not going to vote we are not going to remove these people with authority.”[/pullquote]
The “born-free” vote
Born-frees (the term used to describe people born in democratic South Africa), make up 25% of all registered voters. Voting holds a certain responsibility and this figure could make a substantial difference to electoral outcomes. But it is unclear if those of the 25% who have registered will actually cast their vote.
BA student, Kenny said he was registered to vote but does not plan on voting as he has no interest in politics.
Vutu Mapodi, 2nd year BA, said “It’s a nice activity to do, you feel part of something and not left out.”
Ayanda Mgete, 2nd year BA, said that the problem, with South African politics lies in leadership. “As the youth, we are smarter than people in power right now so we know how to think about things and implement them, so if we are not going to vote we are not going to remove these people with authority,” said Magete
On 7 May South Africans will line up at the voting polls to make their mark. Born-frees will cast their votes for the first time making this election a momentous one in the history of the country.
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
