‘We are struggling, but we are still voting’: Mangaung voters vent frustration at the polls - News24

“We are struggling, but we are still voting.”

That was the message from Botshabelo resident Puleng Mofolo on Wednesday as voters in Mangaung voiced their frustration with poor service delivery.

The metro has been under a Section 139(7) national government intervention for more than four years, yet turnout remained low at several ballot stations throughout the day – although there were reports of long early-morning queues in the suburbs in the north and south that had thinned out by midday.

 At stations visited by News24, queues were short or non-existent from mid-morning into the afternoon.

At Bolokehang Primary School in Ward 29, 411 of 1 581 registered voters had cast their ballots by 16:00.

At Lenyora La Thuto in Ward 30, section H, 620 of 1 900 registered voters had voted. The presiding officer said about 300 people had arrived during the morning rush, but turnout had slowed considerably.

At Setjhaba-Se-Maketse, also in Ward 30, the presiding officer declined to provide voting figures but described the station as busy. However, voters who spoke to News24 said it had been quiet since the morning.

Earlier, in Ward 16, Heidedal, News24 observed no queues at three voting stations. At Ehrlich Park Fire Station in Ward 19, 567 of more than 2 000 registered voters had cast their ballots by midday, while Ward 9 had recorded 636 voters out of more than 2 000 registered.

The frustration among voters was particularly evident in Botshabelo, where residents said they were voting in the hope of removing the ANC from power.

Matsheisa Mokoena, who voted in Ward 30, said she also wanted to ensure the ANC did not win another term.

She said residents continued to struggle with basic services, including roads and recreational facilities.

“The major challenges are potholes, no roads, there are no parks. Everything is a mess, they are not doing anything, we keep on complaining and nothing changes,” she said.

Mofolo, from section H, said she had also voted to prevent the ANC from remaining in power, hoping for better facilities and improved service delivery.

“I decided to come and vote so that ANC does not stay in power again, to make sure that things change, that we get proper facilities, that everything gets on track, because ANC doesn’t do anything for us,” she said.

“We are struggling, but we are still voting. But they are eating; they have everything. They are in big houses, driving beautiful cars. They don’t care about us, but we are the ones voting for them.”

In Hillside View, Mangaung, voter Seane Seane offered another explanation for the subdued turnout, saying he believed residents were increasingly disillusioned with the political choices available to them.

“People are tired of the current party. There is not a lot of turnout. It’s kind of quiet, but it’s understandable,” he told News24.

Seane said he had nevertheless decided to vote because he believed he could not complain about the government without exercising his democratic right to choose an alternative.

However, he was so unimpressed with the available political options that he asked his son to close his eyes and “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” pick a party for him, provided it was not the ANC, DA or EFF.

“It’s just about destabilising the power,” he said.

In Batho, Ward 1, 21-year-old first-time voter Botho Lekhu said voting was an opportunity to make her voice heard after growing up in a community plagued by service delivery problems, crime and gangsterism.

“It’s time my voice gets to be heard. I’ve been in this environment, and it’s time I changed the way we’ve been living in this community,” she said.

Asked whether she believed her vote would bring change, she replied: “Hopefully.”

Kamohelo Modise acknowledged that turnout had been slow in Botshabelo, although he believed the heat could have discouraged some voters from coming out earlier.

“Throughout the whole morning, I’m looking at all VDs (voting districts), and the turnout has been quite good, though it’s slow. I do believe that it’s a matter of heat,” he told News24.

He said he expected turnout to increase after 18:00 as temperatures dropped.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa’s 2021 local government election figures show that Mangaung recorded an overall turnout of 43.7%. In Botshabelo’s wards 27 to 38, turnout ranged between 38% and 44.7%, while in Mangaung’s wards 1 to 15, it ranged from 31.1% to 52.5%.

The ANC won between 60.4% and 81.8% of the vote across Botshabelo’s wards in 2021. By contrast, the DA’s 11 wards are all in Bloemfontein, where turnout ranged from 34.4% to 65.9%.

Mangaung has been under national intervention in terms of Section 139(7) of the Constitution since April 2022. Section 139 allows for provincial and national intervention when municipalities fail to fulfil their obligations.

Three pre-election polls placed the DA narrowly ahead of the ANC, while the ANC entered the election holding 51 of the metro’s 101 council seats, a one-seat majority.

With turnout in its traditional strongholds among the factors that could determine whether it retains control of the metro, the subdued participation in historically ANC areas did not bode well for the party.

Visit the News24 elections map to see how your ward and municipality voted as the results come in.

News24 surveyed 5,001 registered voters to reveal who leads, what voters want fixed, and which coalitions South Africans could support.

Every month, News24 offers subscribers a free audiobook. This month’s offering is “Roelf Meyer: A Political Memoir” by Anneliese Burgess and Roelf Meyer.

From Babita Deokaran to Mpho Mafole, whistleblowers remain at the forefront of News24’s intensive investigative work.

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.