By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert

With numerous political parties making various promises from bettering service delivery to ensuring job creation for the thousands of unemployed on the Cape Flats, many people find themselves unsure of who to support during the general elections set to take place on the 29th of May 2024.These promises come despite the failure to deliver in previous years, which makes the voting process daunting for citizens.

Speaking to VOC News Political Analyst at North-West University Andre Duvenage said there are certain things that should be taken into consideration when marking the X.
“There are several things to take into consideration such as their policies and their ability to implement policies successfully. You must take heed of their integrity and do the homework, check what they promised during the last elections and see if they delivered on that,” he stated.

Duvenage further explained the importance of familiarising yourself with all the political parties and their manifesto to determine if they cater for your needs, and that of the greater community.

With several political parties assuring the public that once they are voted into power, more jobs will be created for those who are currently unemployed and dependent on an SRD grant, Economist Dawie Roodt stressed that it is not government’s role to create jobs, its role is to create an environment where the private sector can function properly.

“The biggest concern we have in SA is the lack of job opportunities, unfortunately politicians capitalise on this. Politicians cannot promise any jobs, they do not have that power, real job creation can only happen when the private sector is able to actively employ more people as the economy grows,” he stressed.

With many media outlets actively engaging various political parties ahead of the elections, it is important to note that, like many other broadcasters, the Voice of the Cape (VOC) has a duty to provide these political parties an equal opportunity to promote their parties, so that the listeners may make an informed decision at the voting stations.

VOC’s News Editor Aneeqa Du Plessis said her department will show no bias towards any political party as the News team and the VOC has no affiliation to any political party. VOC News will implement ethical, fair, accurate and impartial coverage leading up to the elections.

“VOC News has always prided itself on its editorial independence, I can assure you that we will take no slawats (bribe) from any party. It is important to give all the parties a platform so that you as a listener to actively decide who to vote for. We are hoping that by bringing these politicians in and having conversations with them, you can engage them on issues such as housing, service delivery and any social ills that you wish to bring to the fore,” she added.

IEC Western Cape head, Michael Hendrickse said voting stations will open at 07h00 and will close at 21h00 on 29 May but electoral staff are set to continue working behind closed doors for several hours to tally the votes.

“[Due to] the counting process, you are now having a third ballot that might add to the time of counting at the voting station, which has a knock-on effect [in delivering the result], so at exactly 21h00 an official will indicate who the last person is in the queue and no one beyond that point will be allowed to cast their vote,” he stressed.

VOC News

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