Ramaphosa seeks to bolster support in eThekwini - TimesLIVE

So are the cracks in the walls, the leaking roof and the door that no longer closes properly.

For Makhosazana Mbikwana, 66, her home in ward 6, eThekwini, is more than a house in need of repair. It is a memorial to the political violence of the 1980s, in which one of her sons was killed, and a constant reminder of government neglect.

Mbikwana shares the four-room home with her husband, sister, daughter and four grandchildren.

It was here, at the start of ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa’s vote-canvassing visit to the metro this weekend, that the fresh promises of a new election campaign collided with the unfinished business from an old one.

Mbikwana pointed to the damage around her as Ramaphosa listened.

“In this house, we have had problems since our home was burnt during the political violence in the 1980s. We have not received any support from anyone,” she told him. “The roof is leaking and there are cracks in the walls, although we have tried to repair them. People around us have been receiving assistance, left and right, but we were ignored.”

The ANC president had arrived to campaign for a party seeking to reclaim its dominance in eThekwini. But he was confronted with the complaints at the centre of voter discontent — over unemployment, poverty, housing, social grants, crime and the long shadow of political violence.

Mbikwana pointed to holes in the roof. “I am trying to prepare for the summer because it will be raining,” she said.

Then she turned to another problem — her application to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) for a grant had been rejected.

“Another thing that pains my heart is that I am old now, but when I go to Sassa, my application is rejected. I do not receive a social grant. I am not getting any support,” she said. “We know you are our father, the one who provides for us all, but I am not receiving anything.”

Her children, she said, were educated but unemployed.

“There is no-one here who is working. Even my children are unemployed. They are educated. I worked as a domestic worker to make sure that they could get an education, thinking that they would find jobs and lift us out of this situation. But they cannot find jobs.”

Her request to the president was blunt. “I want to ask you, president, for job opportunities.”

She warned that the absence of work was pushing young people towards crime. “What happens is that educated young people, because there are no job opportunities, end up getting involved in the wrong things when they are sitting at home with nothing to do.”

Then she pointed to a photograph. “One of my sons who was shot is the one in that picture,” she said. “Even as you can see, this door cannot close properly. There are bullet holes everywhere in this house.”

The mood changed as Ramaphosa stepped back into the street.

Children who had gathered outside began singing, and ANC supporters in yellow T-shirts formed an entourage as he continued his door-to-door campaign. Ramaphosa re a go rata kaofela, re a go rata ga o fela (We all love Ramaphosa), they sang.

By the time Ramaphosa reached ward 9 in Molweni, the intimacy of the door-to-door campaign had given way to a larger political spectacle. Thousands gathered for a community meeting. There was singing, cheering and a sea of ANC colours.

Ramaphosa gave an optimistic assessment of his visit. “We’ve had a really wonderful day here in KwaZulu-Natal and eThekwini,” he said. “Very fruitful.”

He said the reception he received had given him confidence. “Overwhelmingly, the majority, if not all, of the people we’ve interacted with have expressed their support for the ANC... I feel very confident about the ANC’s victory. The enthusiasm on the ground is palpable.”

But the enthusiasm at Molweni was accompanied by demands that have become familiar across eThekwini. Residents want jobs, functioning services, houses and infrastructure. And they want to feel safe.

In the 2021 local government elections, the ANC received 42.02% of the vote in eThekwini, the DA 26.62% and the EFF 10.48%. The loss of its outright majority was a major reversal for the ANC — and this year Jacob Zuma’s MK Party, which has strong support in the province, is in the picture too. The MK Party believes it can win control of eThekwini in November.

Ramaphosa used the Molweni gathering to speak directly to ANC councillors and candidates. “We want councillors who are going to be well connected to our people, who are able to go back to the people who voted for them and give regular reports. They must be councillors who are above any form of reproach,” he said.

He warned against councillors using public office to benefit friends and relatives. “They must focus on working for the people and on service delivery. They must make sure that the water runs in our people’s taps, that garbage is removed and that electricity is properly delivered.”

Ramaphosa acknowledged delays in rebuilding communities affected by devastating floods. “There have been some delays in some areas, and we concede that, but those promises are going to be fulfilled and they are going to be met without any doubt.”

He called for more professional municipal administrations. “We want the administration of public servants in our councils to be very professional, to be people who know their work, who are well qualified and who professionally execute their tasks.”

Ramaphosa’s visit came days after 11 people were killed and three wounded in a mass shooting in the Ziko area of KwaMakhutha, south of Durban. Police said three men entered a house where 14 people were gathered and opened fire. The motive has yet to be established.

The shooting has added urgency to concerns about violent crime across the province. “Our police are overstretched, I must concede,” Ramaphosa said. “We don’t have as many police as we should have.”