As millions of mzansi citizens prepare to cast their vote for change or to keep the ruling party in power in the upcoming elections that are set to take place on the 29th of May, people in one of the Eastern Cape’s villages have vowed not to take part in this year’s elections.
The people of Cebe village, in Centane, Butteworth have detailed their reasons for abstaining at this year’s elections.
The villager’s biggest grievance is the state of their road which the ANC-led government promised to fix after it claimed the lives of 26 passengers in a fatal bus accident four years ago.
The road is said to be very busy as it is the same one used to get to a lot of places including their local hospital and the town’s tourist attraction centre.
Speaking to Eastern Cape-based publication, Daily Dispatch, villagers shared why they were not going to vote this year.
Cebe Development Forum spokesperson Mzolisi Madikane said, “We have a memorandum at the premier’s office but haven’t gotten any response, they said they’ll get together as departments so that they can respond on a way forward and that hasn’t happened.”
He further added, “The people of Cebe sent out a mandate saying that if their grievances weren’t heard they wouldn’t register to vote and they stuck to their word, prompting officials to visit this town.”
“We still have a mandate that says, if these issues are not attended to, we won’t vote as Cebe villagers.”
A village driver named Sivuyile Zanempi detailed how ministers promised to fix their road after the fatal bus accident also adding that the road is damaging their cars.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula is said to have visited the village after the tragic bus accident but did not get to see the state of the road as he came in a helicopter.
PAC leader Mzwanele Nyhontso also commented saying some of the roads there in parts of Butterworth have never been touched since the ANC went into power in 1994.
WATCH: Cente villagers detail why they won’t vote at this year’s elections.
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Also see: WATCH: Young man tells Cyril Ramaphosa he’d rather vote for EFF than him
