KIMBERLEY- As political parties try to win votes before the 2024 general elections, minority tribes are likely to be their main focus.
West of Kimberley in Platfontein, there are two such tribes: the!Xun and the Khwe.
They come from southern Angola and northern Namibia.
They participated in the Angolan Specialized Portuguese Force’s flits as trackers and counter-insurgents for the South African Defense Force during the border conflict.
After 1994, the late former president Nelson Mandela intervened and forced them to move first to Schmidt’s Drift and then to Platfontein.
They self-admittedly live in difficult circumstances, including a lack of effective service delivery, joblessness, drug addiction, and teenage pregnancy challenges. They are frequently regarded as the forgotten ones.
According to resident Tummy Duiker, the residents of Platfontein “hope that the upcoming election will uphold the promises they hear whenever elections are imminent.”
According to Duiker, the conflict between the two communities has exacerbated a number of problems in this region.
NOT LIVING LIKE A KING,
The community of !Xun’s King Antonio Sabao was depressed over the subpar living conditions, including sanitation, in both his own and the neighborhood.
He informed Eyewitness News that the municipality collects sacks and forces them to use them in outside restrooms.
Siblings must share rooms in the three-room RDP homes because there are no doors, and the kitchens are poorly equipped.
He asserted that a king should not live in this manner.
The residents of Platfontein in San Antonio were unwinding in the thorny tree shade on a Saturday afternoon as they went about their daily activities.
This occurred as political parties sought out potential voters at a neighborhood school.
People like his son, according to King Antonio Saboa, lack employment and are unable to support themselves and their families.
” Such a big boy, he needs to take care of himself, and I have to.” There are numerous issues here.
The king claims that efforts to open up employment opportunities in the neighborhood have been ignored.
In order to cast their ballots in 2024, he said South Africans must be accountable and register.
MORE READING:
- How to sign up to vote in the general elections in 2024
- Political parties beg SAns to care about the future of their nation.
- First-time voter Langebaan says,” SA has potential, but some things need to change.”