Johannesburg - The DA march to Luthuli House has become about far more than just the Eskom crisis and the resulting Stage 3 and Stage 4 load shedding that has plagued the country since the beginning of the year, but also about service delivery.
Many black South Africans who joined the march have complained about poor service delivery in some of their townships. Some of the protesters are former ANC supporters who have defected to the DA due to the many challenges facing them.
Mama Patricia Simelane* (not her real name) from Tembisa said she was a staunch member of the movement who even took part in ANC activities during apartheid and immediately after the 1994 elections. However, some of the things she saw following the elections made her reconsider her love for the ANC.
"I used to guard and protect Harry Gwala and was a firm member of the ANC, but I saw first-hand some of the bad things that took place during this time. The ANC has become the enemy of the people and rewards only those who do the dirty work with positions of power. I have since joined the DA as a result. My children, who have been unemployed for a long time, are now employed thanks to a white man who is a DA member and who made sure that my children get jobs," Simelane said.
Another old woman from the Western Areas in Mogale city said crime has become a problem due to load shedding.
"I am here because of load shedding, which is really bad. This has resulted in high levels of crime in the area, and I just hope that my being here will help us with this problem," she said.
Sinazo Makhutha, from Tembisa, said even though load shedding is bad, service delivery in the area has been bad for a long time.
"The electricity problem is not the only problem we are facing. We are not receiving services as we should, and this is why we are here today to demonstrate to the ANC that we will not be voting for the ANC in 2024 due to the non-delivery of services," she said.
Ghaleb Cachalia, a DA member of parliament, echoed the three women's sentiments, saying things have gotten worse since Ramaphosa took over the country in 2018.
The Star