Alfred Nzo voter reserve
RATHER than being an act of development, keeping Ntabankulu, Mt Frere, Mbizana and Matatiele inside the Eastern Cape is an act of honouring apartheid spatial arrangements which were based on tribalism.
I had been observing how these areas are seen as voting cows for clever blacks from Mthatha, East London, PE and other areas.
Since 1994 there has been no significant development in these towns that I suggest are reserves for votes for clever blacks.
Doing proper analysis of service delivery confirms that we, as people living in Alfred Nzo, are just kept in the EC because we vote for the ANC overwhelmingly.
In real terms we have nothing or less, to celebrate since the dawn of freedom.
There are many mud schools in Alfred Nzo, more than any other region in the EC.
It is in this region that our people must travel many kilometres to access clinics.
It is in this region where no one cares about scholar transport, despite us having approached government several times.
It is in this area that schools are no different to churches because most, if not all schools, are without computer labs and libraries.
It is in this area that learners must use church halls and households as classrooms, or even use trees as classrooms.
It is in this area that learners and teachers must drink dirty water because there is no access to clean drinkable water.
It is in this area where 99% of the roads are gravel and many of them undriveable.
It is in this area where the majority of communities have no access to electricity.
It is in this area where access to the internet is still a dream for many young people.
It is in this area where community policing and police visibility is a pipedream.
It is in this area where poverty levels are so high and life expectancy is below 49 years.
It is in this area where the majority of the people are unemployed.
It is in this area where dropout levels at schools are so high because of poverty. It is this area where illiteracy rate is so high.
It is better to join KwaZulu-Natal than to stay in the Eastern Cape for self-serving reasons that had nothing to do with the development of communities we serve.
It is an embarrassment to continue to define ourselves as people of the Eastern Cape when no one cares about our development. We need to make decisions that will serve the future generations.
The Eastern Cape province ends with Nyandeni Local Municipality. The agenda does not include the Alfred Nzo region, Ntabankulu in particular. We are just voters to ensure that certain individuals remain in power to serve their families and friends.
The people of Alfred Nzo must make up their minds or continue to suffer the injustice of being used as a reserve for votes and remaining underdeveloped. — Phendule Mbewu, Ntabankulu