Soweto - Residents of Johannesburg's southern suburbs have trickled in to Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) voting stations, hoping to ensure they can vote for change in their communities in the upcoming local government elections.
From as early at 10am, residents of the Thembelihle informal settlement in Lenasia, put aside their normal weekend routine and made their way to the stations to check if they appeared on the voters roll. However, only a handful of first time voters could be seen.
Nthabiseng Matebese, 18, said that it was because she had not seen much change in her community over the years that she was registering to vote. There was high unemployment and a lack of basic amenities.
"We are still living in that same shack with no water and electricity. I am registering now because I want to see change in my community - if I don't vote nothing will change. I hope my vote will in some way play a role," said Nthabiseng.
She said many in her area, including her parents, were despondent and had said they would not bother voting in the local elections.
The Thembalihle community was one of the hotspots where service delivery protests flared up in the country. Residents took their frustration over delays in the provision of housing, electricity, water and sanitary facilities to the streets.
Sipho Koko, 19, who, along with a large group of friends, arrived to register to vote said: "I'm just registering, but I'm not sure which role my vote will play."
Thirty-three-year-old Martha Sibiya said just because one councillor had failed the community, it did not mean they could give up. "We can't just throw in the towel, rather let us use our democratic right and get rid of them once and for all," she told BuaNews.
Others hoped that once they elected new councillors they would work towards, among other issues, bringing skills development workshops to an area that has a lot of crime and a high unemployment rate.
In Eldorado and Soweto, many youths had turned up to register. Among their complaints where drug trafficking, theft, robberies and car hijacking and high food prices.
They were hopeful that their votes will bring much needed change in their lives.
The residents said they will make sure that come voting time they will choose councillors who will understand the pressures of living in these areas and people who would ensure decent housing, economic transformation through skills development and employment.
"We need sponsorships to start companies and employ young people in the area, but before we can do that, we need a skills development centre in order to equip young people with skills," said Ermely van Wyk, an unemployed mother of three.
In Kliptown, only a handful of residents could be seen at the registration stations, while many continued with their normal Saturday duties.
Gift Lukhozi, 35, who is unemployed, said it was sad that they still lived in such conditions. "I'm registering because our brothers and sisters fought for this right to vote. I won't let them down and I encourage everyone, especially the youth, to register."
