From left: Gift Mbhele, Thami Nkosi and Gezo Gwala.
Phoenix residents cite unemployment, water and electricity outages, poor roads and unfulfilled promises as they debate whether voting can improve their community.
The sundaytribune.co.za took to the streets of Phoenix to gauge residents’ sentiments ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections.
While some expressed reluctance about voting, citing years of empty promises from previous councillors, others remained determined to vote, saying that the ballot box could be the key to a better future for the area.
Gift Mbhele said unemployment, water and power outages were among the issues that would motivate him to vote on Wednesday.
"The first issue is unemployment. I have been looking for a job for years, and nobody seemed to care about the high rate of unemployment in our area. I have lost hope on finding a job, but I will continue looking because I need to change my life," he said.
Mbhele believes that his vote will bring change.
"Even though my vote does not guarantee the change in my community, I believe that the party I vote for will bring change if given a chance. We are also struggling with the lack of water and power in our area. Sometimes we spend a week without water and power," he said.
Mbhele said the lack of service delivery had affected them badly since they relied on water and power to cook, wash clothes, dishes, and charge cellphones.
Another resident, Thami Nkosi, said he was hesitant to vote due to empty promises from the previous councillors.
"If you look around, there are few good things here. Our roads are in bad condition, and we are also struggling with unemployment, water and electricity outages. I always vote when there are elections, but I do not see change and that kills a desire to vote in the upcoming elections," he said.
Nkosi claimed that councillors left their wards after being voted into positions.
"I have seen this several times where councillors left their wards and went to live in the suburbs after being voted into power. Before elections, it is easy to find them (councillors), but after elections it is hard to reach them," he said.
Nkosi said voting in the local government elections enriched only the councillors, not the residents.
Gezo Gwala, said he would vote in the upcoming polls, but stressed that it hurts to see many young people.
"Our councillors need to change the way they operate. If the previous councillors were doing a good job, we would not be complaining as residents. The high unemployment rate is irritating because you cannot find a job anywhere. This contributes to crime and drug use among young people," said Gwala.
He said water and electricity outages were real in the area.
"We cannot go a week without a power outage in our area. When it comes to water, it is worse because sometimes we go a full week without it."
He said they survived with water from tankers.
"Sometimes water tankers would not come and you would be forced to buy water for cooking and drinking. I believe that this time around I will vote for a useful councillor who would bring change to the lives of South Africans," he said.