Dear voters: Don’t get taken for a ride by politicians ever again

The eagerly awaited announcement was made this week: SA is going to the polls on May 29. Political parties and indeed many citizens could not wait for the pronouncement and were even hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa would do so during his state of the nation address two weeks ago. Their impatience was not misplaced at all. This year’s polls will be significant for various reasons. They come 30 years into democracy. So many citizens were hoping that their individual circumstances would have improved for the better in three decades.

Unfortunately, poverty, unemployment and inequality continue to haunt many communities.

Recent opinion polls have also indicated that the ruling party is likely to dip below 50% for the first time since the advent of democracy.

For such reasons, we have heard some campaigns modelled around the slogan “2024 is our 1994”, signalling a possibility of a change in government.

As anticipated, the election date announcement will jolt political parties, and independents alike, to intensify their campaigns.

More manifesto events will be convened where ideologies, policies and, in some cases, the leadership line-ups will be showcased.

As the politicians do their bit to try to win our votes, as citizens this is also a time for introspection as we process a barrage of messages from those contesting for public office.

As we have reported previously, there are disturbing trends of groups of people who have vowed that voting will not take place in their areas.

During elections, protests are normally held in such areas and electoral officers threatened.

While voting is an individual choice, we appeal to such groups to realise that in a democracy it is through voting that your voice will be heard.

They must understand that the right to vote did not come cheap in SA and must not be squandered.

Before 1994, the colonial regime excluded the majority of the country’s adult citizens from voting.

It was only after a protracted struggle, which also claimed lives, that the right to vote was realised. So voting is the right thing to do.

In the Eastern Cape, our problems are well documented: Unemployment sitting at 41.9%, according to the Stats SA quarterly labour force survey; poor road infrastructure; poverty; failing municipalities; crime; corruption; shortage of teachers in some schools; scholar transport issues and raw sewage flowing in some backyards.

Voters should listen carefully to find out who has the best plan to solve all these problems.

They should not be swayed by sentiment. Neither should they be fooled by promises that are clearly pie in the sky.

The time to be taken for a ride by politicians should be a thing of the past.

Your vote is your voice, use it carefully on May 29.

It was only after a protracted struggle that the right to vote was realised