The elderly braved cold, wet weather to vote in Kraaifontein’s largest ward on Monday, despite some saying they had little hope of a better life.
Ward 111 has seven voting districts and encompasses Bloekombos, Belmont Park, Wallacedene, and Peerless Park.
The incumbent councillor, Brenda Hansen, of the DA, squares off against the ANC’s Oyisa Bambatha, the EFF’s Loyiso Nonkenyana and 30 other candidates.
Ms Hansen won the ward with 80% of the votes in 2016 – a big jump from the 52% she polled in 2011. The ANC had 45.5% in 2011 and 14.32% in 2016. The ACDP polled 1.89% and the EFF followed with 1.75%.
According to the IEC’s inspection roll, the ward has 13 436 registered voters.
At the Simonsberg Primary School polling station, 52 voters, mostly white and coloured, queued under the school’s poolside shed, waiting to vote inside the school’s main hall.
Amapiano music blared outside the Bloekombos Primary School gate as party agents made their final push for votes there.
Five police officers manned parts of the school. One of them said all the other voting stations had police patrolling, but Northern News did not see any at the Simonsberg, Wallacedene Primary School, Masibambane High School, Wallacedene High School, Eagles Nest Christian School and Shiloh Themba Kids creche voting stations.
A queue of voters snaked outside of the prefab classroom voting station at Themba Kids creche in Wallacedene, where would-be voters were seen huddling around the desks of party agents.
Flanked by five family members, Katrina Jonkers, who lives in Phase 3 in Wallacedene, walked to Wallacedene High where she voted.
“I vote because I love my party, but nothing has changed. It’s painful, but what can we do?” says Ms Jonkers, who went blind in 2000. “I need a better life. I go to hospitals, but they can’t help me.”
Maqetelo Mokhoa, who is in her late 50s, arrived at Masibambane High before mid-morning to vote for a sixth time in the municipal elections since 1995.
Like other voters at the school, she zipped in and out of the largely empty voting station.
She later returned to the school before noon, this time to accompany a frail friend, Nowanele Msulwa , 61.
Breathing heavily due to a chest infection, she says: “I love my party. I don’t even have a house, but I continue to vote for my party. I’m voting for the love of the party.”
David Manyamalala, a pensioner, has voted in all elections since the advent of democracy, says: “Eish! We vote, but there is no change. When there is change, it is so small that it is insignificant.
“For example, some of us got RDP houses but there are many other issues that come with being poor, which were not addressed.”