As many people flock to voting stations, I remain uninterested and have no intention of casting my vote.
I have never been inclined to participate in the elections, even in this year’s national and provincial elections. I vividly remember not voting in the 2019 elections either.
The reason for my disinterest is that I am not convinced by anything related to elections. What frustrates me the most is that during election season, political leaders come out in droves, promising voters an idyllic life, yet they consistently fail to deliver.
The country enduring numerous issues, from rampant corruption scandals and poor service delivery, to high crime rates and frequent killings. How can I ignore the primary obstacle for many, especially young people - unemployment?
Our government has consistently failed to deliver on its promises, offering nothing but empty words and sub-par services. Besides making hollow promises, they seem incapable of taking effective action.
Recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the intake of 10,000 police officers dubbed #Project10k to enhance protection, combat crime, and investigate criminal activities. However, this initiative is insufficient.
We lack adequate police presence, especially in rural areas where reaching a police station requires a taxi ride. Why not build a police station in every area?
The same goes for clinics. Often, one clinic serves more than 10 villages, leading to poor service. The government should consider building more clinics to create job opportunities for unemployed nurses.
Yet, they fail to address this, instead claiming things have improved over the years while still failing to create jobs. No!
Yes, one would say, I should not be complaining about all the things I mentioned, but I remain unconvinced to vote and doubt I will participate in future elections.
I am not impressed by anything I have seen so far.
* Simon Majadibodu is a multi-media reporter intern at IOL
** The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of IOL or Independent Media.