South Africa: Limpopo Villagers Along the D3810 Say No to Voter Registration

27 November 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Israel Nkuna

The #NoRoadNoVote campaign is gaining momentum, which is more than can be said for vehicles on the D3810 road linking the villages of Khakhala, Gawula, Mahlathi, Ndindani and Hlomela.

Ahead of the recent voter registration drive, a woman in my neighbouring village of Khakhala started a WhatsApp group called #NoXikontiriNoVote (no tar road, no vote). In under 24 hours the group grew to about 480 participants.

The young woman who started the group, Tiyiselani Khumbudza, was soon interviewed by the SABC, and she took the host through the reasons for her call for a boycott - the broken promises to rebuild the roads and improve village life. The promises of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022... the promises of every ANC official, up to and including former deputy presidents David Mabuza and the current mayor of the greater Giyani Municipality, Thandi Zitha.

Zitha had addressed poor road infrastructure during an imbizo at Ndindani village early this year and told residents that "there are plans to tar the main road that links five villages in the area. This is not a promise, I'm just telling you that preparations have already started to tar the road by the next financial year."

Debates raged on the #NoXikontiriNoVote WhatsApp group about whether and how to shut the registration stations. Some were for it, others feared arrest. Tiyiselani stayed firm, continuing to encourage others not to...

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