'I am ready to vote for the ANC, although it is a corrupt party' - Marikana resident
7 May 2019
While some residents in Marikana in the North West have indicated they won't be making their mark in Wednesday's elections, others say they will vote for the ANC despite some leaders being "corrupt".
Mzwandile Ngqothwana, a Marikana resident for the past six years, told News24 that although the party has been embroiled in corruption allegations he will still vote for it.
Born and bred in Welkom in the Free State, Ngqothwana says: "I am ready to vote for the ANC, although it is a corrupt party, I am ready to give them my vote again.
"I am still going to vote for the same government because some of us are employed because of this government… better the devil you know than the one you don't know. They are corrupt but what can we say?"
Progress
On the streets of Marikana, the electioneering drive seems muted, with a few party posters adorning lamp posts the only reminder of Wednesday's polls.
In 2014, the ANC won 67% of the votes in the North West.
Ngqothwana says he believes that giving another party the power to govern the country would not be good for the economy.
"Voting for a new party will mean that we don't progress faster because investors will take a while to trust the new leader. I trust the other parties, but I think it will take time for the other parties to make South Africa great.
"The ANC has been in power for more than 20 years and it took time for it to start service delivery.
"The new party will take forever to improve the country. We have been in democracy for 25 years now and some of us are still unemployed. This shows you that the government that is in power needs to grow first," says Ngqothwana.
Ngqothwana says there are a few things that the ANC has done in Marikana, including building houses for some people.
However, this is not enough, he says.
Change
"They built us RDPs, although they are not satisfactory. These houses are suitable for one person and not a family. Where I come from, the RDP houses are much better than what is built here," he says.
"When [President] Cyril Ramaphosa comes to Marikana we want him to leave sweets for us. By sweets I mean he needs to change the place around. He should build us better houses and fix our roads.
"He also needs to create employment for the youth here because if most of them don't work then crime increases."
Peter Mathonzi, 50, agrees.
Just like Ngqothwana, Mathonzi says he will vote for the ANC because of its history.
Mathonzi has been living in Marikana for 10 years. He joined the ANC in 1994.
"I am a member of the ANC, I am very active," he says.
"I vote for the ANC no matter what. The leaders are the ones who disappoint us, but I won't abandon my organisation just because of certain leaders ruining it," Mathonzi tells News24.
"The ANC has not failed me, only certain groups within the party have failed me," he says.
Mathonzi hails the ANC for the current education system, saying that the old system was "wrong".
"Today we are poor intellectually because of Bantu education. But today's youngsters sound more clever because of the new education system and that is because of the ANC," he says.
Mathonzi says he wants the ANC to provide jobs, although he says this won't happen overnight.
