‘We last had meaningful development when Mandela was still alive’
A 22-year-old ‘born free’ from an impoverished Port St Johns area explains why she won’t be voting on May 29
In his state of the nation address on February 8, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke glowingly about Tintswalo, a child born in 1994 who grew up in a SA completely different to the one experienced by her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
He told millions of South Africans that the story of the first 30 years of democracy could best be told through Tintswalo, born at the dawn of freedom, who grew up in decent shelter with running water, had access to free health care and was able to further her education with the assistance of the government.
Tintswalo eventually got a job in which she thrived with the support of the government’s employment equity and BEE policies, and was able, in turn, to support her family.
It was a story of hope that was expected to resonate with many young “born frees”.
In Cwebeni village, considered one of the most impoverished communities in the Port St Johns area, the Dispatch this week caught up with 22year-old Kamva Phuzi, who was on her way back from fetching water from a nearby natural pond in the bush.
Cwebeni has been without running tap water since 2017.
Phuzi matriculated in 2020 and, like many of her peers, she had big dreams for her future, including becoming a teacher and building a decent home for her unemployed mother and four younger siblings.
But her life has been one of struggle, poverty and unfulfilled government promises.
And, though many born-frees will be voting for the first time on May 29, she has already made up her mind to stay away from the polling stations.
“I just don’t have any interest or the excitement to go and put my X on that ballot paper for anyone or any political party.
“In fact, I am not going to waste my vote on anyone.
I doubt I will change my mind on this at all.
“Our parents have been voting since 1994 but nothing has come of it,” Phuzi said.
“So the way I see it, [voting] will not bring any change into my own life or that of my family or our village.
“We don’t have roads, and the last time we had any meaningful development was when [former president Nelson] Mandela was still alive.”
Phuzi said she had tried to find a job after finishing matric to no avail.
She also applied for learnerships offered by the government so she could at least get a stipend and be able to contribute to her family’s livelihood, but her efforts came to nothing.
And when she tried to enrol to study for a teaching qualification, she found that door was shut too.
Some of the tertiary institutions where Phuzi applied and was provisionally accepted required that she pay a registration fee of about R4,000.
Though she is aware of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), she also knows about students across the country who were unable to register because their applications were rejected.
Even some of those who were accepted often found themselves unable to register on time because of payment delays.
And though Ramaphosa delivered an upbeat speech about the country’s trajectory, Phuzi told the Dispatch she did not feel free at all.
“I often hear people talk about democracy but I don’t know what being free means. We have nothing to celebrate here [in Cwebeni].
“I wanted to become a teacher to help mould young minds and be able to build my family a proper home.
“So if I vote, what will I be voting for, exactly?”
Phuzi said the government could help young people who wanted to study by ensuring that universities and other tertiary institutions did not charge so much for registration.
She said it could even go as far as providing free education for people from areas such as Cwebeni, so children could be able to use education as a ticket out of poverty.
Phuzi continues to live in a rundown mud house with her family and her prospects of furthering her education or finding a job look bleak.
Cwebeni Community Development Forum founding member Nosalathiso Petshana, who is also a founding member of Ithemba Kuluntu, which helps provide food parcels to struggling families in the village, said many other young people there shared similar sentiments to those of Phuzi.
“There were many promises that were made but we have nothing to show.
“So naturally people are angry at the government for failing them,” she said.