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Young people in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West say they need a political party that will bring change and end what they deemed as “systematic slavery”.
They were speaking on the side-lines of the newly formed United Africans Transformation (UAT) provincial manifesto launch in Klerksdorp ahead of the national and provincial elections to be held in two weeks.
Those who attended say they are hopeful that given a chance, the party can bring better service delivery and rid their area of gangsterism.
Those who attended the launch expressed their frustrations over what they labelled 30 years of neglect.
“I’m still a young person and expect many changes. We have been in our democracy for 30 years and these still no changes.”
“People who get treatment from public hospitals should be given free food first before they get that medication because in most of the time when they are given that medication, they are told that before you drink this medication see to it that you eat food. The question is where will they get that free food? Because we come from different backgrounds.”
“In our section we have those killers, who we don’t know. And these nothing being done about that. And that’s a crisis itself because we live in fear.”
UAT President Dr Bantu Wonder Mahlatsi says their number one pillar is land expropriation without compensation.
“The issue of land expropriation without compensation is at the center of our manifesto. And we are promising South Africans and here in the area of the North West that they will give us the land. And when we talk about the land, we talk about what is under, which is our minerals, we talk about the surface where we farm our food. We talk about our rivers, our mountains. So, we want the land back to real owners so that we can feed our people.”
Mahlatsi highlighted better health services as another priority.
“We are saying we will give you free medical assistance. But our focus is that aunty must eat before she takes her medication. We are going to fight hunger.”
The party is contesting nationally and in five provinces, except all three Cape provinces and KwaZulu-Natal.
I’m Thabang Morutloa in Klerksdorp.
