Johannesburg - Millions of South Africans will vote today in the hope that promises of accountability, responsibility and service delivery will materialise after the local government elections.
Among them is President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is scheduled to vote in his home township Chiawelo in Soweto this morning. Chiawelo has seen a number of protests after the president promised to sort out electricity issues for residents across Soweto.
Ramaphosa is expected to closely watch the results of the ANC’s gruelling campaign to keep the party he leads in power in municipalities. Last week, he said he was campaigning to stop other political parties from opposing the governing party. The ANC has faced numerous challenges during the campaign for the municipal polls.
The build-up to the elections has also not been without its fair share of controversy. After the riots in KwaZulu-Natal in July this year, the DA put up posters which read “The ANC called you racists” and “The DA calls you heroes”. The DA later withdrew the election posters, but questions about its biases have lingered.
Ramaphosa has warned that councillors who are not accessible and who do not attend to the grievances of those they serve, will be relived of their positions.
”Without accountability on the part of elected representatives and public officials, whether at national, provincial or local government, trust between the public and government is easily broken and difficult to regain,” he said.
Community leaders called for greater openness and engagement with communities by the elected officials.
”It is our hope that those who are elected this year take the matter of accountability seriously. Ultimately any election is about trust,” Ramaphosa said.
He warned elected officials to expect that communities should work with them to resolve the issues.
”It is a matter of mutual responsibility because both councillors and communities share a common aspiration to improve the quality of life of all.
”I urge all South Africans who will be voting next Monday to commit to working with whoever is ultimately elected, regardless of which political party they belong to. We should not say we have no interest in working with or assisting the newly-elected official because they were not our favoured candidate,” he said.
According to Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, the ANC has indicated that Ekurhuleni can only reach the goals they have set "if communities are cleaner, safer and better-run, where service delivery is of a good standard and advances human dignity, if it works together including across the political divide".
Political Bureau