Pretoria - A lot of people at Mabopane railway station, where the DA took its election campaign, expressed anger at the level of corruption in government institutions.
Party supporters in branded blue T-shirts spent the day Friday interacting with informal traders and encouraging them to go out in their numbers to vote in May.
Among them was member of the DA’s Gauteng legislature, Makashule Gana, who said: “One of the big things that are being said is that people are tired of corruption. They want a clean government to take charge.”
While the majority of people welcomed the party representatives, there were others who expressed disappointment about poor service delivery.
Gana said: “The intention was to speak to the informal traders and people who are buying from them. People are talking about the need for us to fast-track service delivery.”
Some people told campaigners that government service took time to reach their areas.
“They are still hopeful that the government will be able to bring services to them.”
The DA also brought home a message regarding the importance of voter registration. Gana said: “Those who are registered said they would be checking their names on the voters roll, and those who have not registered said they would register.
“People do realise that this is going to be almost a make or break election for the country.”
Informal trader Ruth Andries, who has a fast-food business in the area, was given a DA T-shirt, and she said: “I am a DA supporter. I disowned the ANC because of the problems in the party.”
She lamented the poor state of service delivery in Mabopane where she lives, citing a problem of leaking sewage pipes.
“We did report the problem, but those who have to repair them take time before they attend to it.”
Another hawker, who declined to disclose his name, said he would not register to vote.
“Those we have voted for tend to loot public coffers,” he said.
Gana expressed confidence that the DA would emerge victorious in Gauteng.
“It is correct that the ANC retained their wards during the by-elections, but then if you look closely in terms of the performance of the DA, we have been improving, and in some areas (like Winterveld) tripled the votes,” he said.