Hot under the collar ... because of a sinkhole
Voter wants change in local politics
COME May 7, when 19-yearold Shunturi Govender makes her mark in her first national election, she will be motivated by a 4m-deep sinkhole and a medical school’s refusal to accept her.
“Medicine was my first choice. I couldn’t get into the university because they had reached their quota. It was very disappointing. I had achieved seven As in matric and it was always a dream of mine. Now I have had to settle for engineering,” she said.
Govender, from Shallcross, is a second-year civil engineering student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
She said she wanted to see a change in the attitude of politicians at a local level.
She said a prime example of lackadaisical service delivery was the sinkhole in Shallcross’s main road, which had not been attended to for more than a month.
“Two people have fallen into it. One man fell in and was saved only the next day. Last week, another died.”
She said the right to vote was something her family valued.
“My father has a history in politics and I know what he went through during the struggle to do his part for achieving democracy. He was once arrested as a student for protesting against the apartheid government, so I know that by voting I will have my say in the South Africa we become.”
In keeping with the family tradition, she joined a local youth group through which she and other youngsters in the area “try to do our best to make the area a better place.”
She said she had nothing against the ANC.
“I believe in what they were. But I don’t think that what the party stands for now is what the leadership of then set out for it to be. I just feel they aren’t living up to the promises the party made in 1994.
“I feel that the Democratic Alliance gets political support by slandering or looking for the downfall of the ANC.”
She added that the official opposition seemed to lack policies, but it was always pointing out the faults in the ANC-run government.
She did not consider the Minority Front to be representative of her needs.
“They don’t do much in my area. I do think that they will receive votes because of Amichand Rajbansi and the fact that he did work in the Indian community, but without him, I’m not sure how far they will go. I don’t really know much about their new leader.
“I believe Mamphela Ramphele of Agang is a very smart woman, and her connection to Steve Biko and the struggle is proof that she suffered and lost. This will probably lead to her getting votes.” Govender admitted, however, that she was not familiar with the party’s policies.
Of the Economic Freedom Fighters, she said: “Firstly I am not, nor have I been or ever will be, a Julius Malema fan. He has said a lot of hurtful things in the past. I don’t believe in him at all. Even when he was with the ANC Youth League some of the things he said were not part of democratic beliefs.”
Regarding the vote-spoiling campaign of former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and other ex-ministers, she said although she understood the thinking behind the movement, she had no intention of participating.
“I don’t agree with votespoiling. Fair enough, none of the parties are very appealing, but in order for change to come you have to vote legitimately. It doesn’t come from not voting or spoiling your ballot.”