The Toilet Election

So as you may be aware today was Election Day in South Africa, they were voting for Municipal Elections. As South Africa is a three tier system, representatives are elected at the national, provincial and local levels. Today's elections are for local representatives and so the focus has been upon how well basic services are provided like water, sanitation, electricity, refuse and clinics. Since the end of apartheid some of these services have improved a great deal with 90% of households now with access to running water and 70% with electricity. However, as you can imagine, compared to the UK these are big issues, as in some areas some services are not provided or poorly maintained. 


The two main parties are the DA (Democratic Alliance) and the ANC (African National Congress). The latter have been in power since Mandela was voted in in the first democratic vote in 1994. It seems to be of growing opinion that the ANC are not following through on their promises to provide services for the townships and rural communities. Therefore, some voters are questioning their loyalties to the ANC, who have had a huge majority of the vote since 1994, largely as a result of 80% of the population being black African. Nevertheless, the ANC still represent the fight against apartheid, and they make sure this remains in the voters mind and use it to their advantage. 


For example a BBC article wrote:
Last week, President Jacob Zuma warned his countrymen that their ancestors would never forgive them if they voted against the ANC, which led the fight against white minority rule.




The DA have a white female leader but also have representatives of all races. They hold the province of the Western Cape, probably largely due to the population here being predominantly  coloured (mixed-race) and a growing feeling that the ANC favour black Africans over those of other races. However, the DA have a long way to go. To many the idea of a white president representing the rainbow nation is still very hard to imagine. Sadly this often grows out of a fear that apartheid could return.


While some black people seem to be voting for a party other than the ANC, having spoken to our cleaner Sylvia, who lives in a township called Mamelodie in Pretoria, it seems there are also many who are refusing to vote rather than change their side. Their attitude, and I wish politics did work like this, is that politicians should act on their promises before they ask for votes, rather  than the other way around. Sylvia told me of the road outside her house which is in a terrible state (I am sure it is worse than the potholes on British roads) and that the houses built for them have such poor foundations that when there is heavy wind and rain her house slides around. 


I have yet to explain the title of my blog. You may have already read it in the papers and know why. In the last week,  the elections have centred around public toilets. To cut a long story short the ANC announced that they had discovered that the DA had built 50 unenclosed toilets in a township of Cape Town, embarrassing the DA in terms of providing public services equally. However, it was then discovered that the ANC had also built unenclosed toilets months ago and so the slander campaign has left both parties smelling.... well not of roses that's for sure!


While today's vote may not be ground breaking, it is very interesting to watch the politics evolve and hopefully start to move away from an underlying current of race and towards issues that effect voters lives.


If you want to read some articles:
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-13-voting-gets-down-to-basics/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13144324

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13427900