On this day 25 years ago thousands of South Africans from Makhanda stood in long queues, ready to cast their first democratic vote. They hoped for a new beginning that will give birth to a better life for all. This has yet to materialize.
Today, the Makhanda Municipality has been without access to water for months. This is the reality for many towns and cities across the Eastern Cape and the country after 25 years of ANC governance. The celebration of Freedom Day in this part of the Eastern Cape when millions of South Africans are yet to experience this freedom, is nothing more than a slap in the face for our people. The people of Makhanda like most South Africans are tired of all the talk, with little delivery and empty promises of the ANC government.
The people of Makhanda could have never imagined that they would be betrayed and forgotten by the same party they once loved and trusted. It is hard to comprehend that twenty five years later the people of Makhanda are still living without the basic services they were promised all those years ago.
In January, then new mayor, Mzukisi Mpahlwa, promised better service delivery to the residents. Yet, water outages, power blackouts, litter-strewn streets and sewage trickling into people’s homes continue to be the lived experience for the residents of Makhanda.
The People of Makhanda are not fooled by the last ditch efforts by the same mayor to clean up the streets where Ramaphosa’s multimillion rand, window-tinted, blue light convey sped through so as to hide their real shame of non-service delivery in the area. That is why they threw feces into the streets, so as to illustrate their reality, not the temporary and politically expedient clean-up project, which will again only present itself before the next election. While the guests of the Freedom Day celebrations are sipping on bottled water, the people of this province are often left without even the basics.
Ramaphosa’s speech is out of touch with the lived experience of the people of Makhanda and South Africa in general. He paid lip-service to our hard-earned freedom when he did not address the real issues facing our people. With 10 million unemployed South Africans, it is impossible to for anyone to enjoy freedom without a job that affords one dignity.
The DA will continue fight for the freedom of all South Africans. We will fight to put a job in every home, and transform communities like Makhanda into places of pride for all. It is only the DA that has a plan and vision for the future.
On 8 May, the people of South have two choices – more corruption or more jobs.