Corruption, jobs and crime top voters’ concerns
Corruption, jobs and crime were just some of the concerns raised by voters in the northern suburbs as they stood in line on Wednesday to make their mark.
Voting at Wembley Park in Kuils River, Shireen Baker, of Sunbird Park, said she hoped the next government would tackle what she felt was unfairness regarding job opportunities.
“Only certain people get jobs and certain people get sidelined. There are hundreds of employees in (some) companies, but 90% of the people are black in an area that is predominantly white or predominantly coloured, but there's 90% black people in the company,” she said, adding that Rise Mzansi was the right party to fix that.
Juliet Arrison, of Kuils River, said she was voting for the Patriotic Alliance because “the illegal foreigners must go”.
Ragmat Volkwyn said politicians should stay in the Cape Flats so they could better understand the conditions there and use their first-hand experience to address problems.
“I am voting for the National Coloured Congress because they are what I have been looking for. A lot of NCC office bearers are working on the Cape Flats, not because they are from the Cape Flats but because they know high levels of crime rate affecting the people and how it's like there,” she said.
ANC member Michael Makhetha said the party was best suited to lead the country and the Western Cape.
“We have done very well in canvassing, convincing the people. The main issue is unemployment, but the ANC will address it as we have already done with other programmes that were implemented by the ANC like the EPWP (expanded public works programme),” he said.
Andre Williams said he was voting for the Good Party because he had previously stayed in the same Elsies River neighbourhood as the party's leader, Patricia de Lille, and he had seen her involved in community work.
“Some people are good in a certain section and others are good in another section. It does not make them good or bad. This lady used to stay in my neighbourhood in Elsies River, but now I stay in Delft. I know a little bit of her community work, even though I don't know her personally,” he said.
Darren April, 19, of Kuils River, said he would be voting for the DA as it was delivering basic services to people.
Moses Herbert, who voted at the Technical High School in Highbury, said he believed ActionSA would do well in the elections.
