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Koko Maphoru Mokgolobotho, a 68-year-old from Ditwebeleng village in Sekhukhune, Limpopo woke up this morning in high spirits because she regards this as the day she has been waiting for.
Despite being “an elder”, Mokgolobotho could not wait to be among those queuing to exercise her democratic right to vote at the local voting station.
She said the youth didn’t know how it was during apartheid and for elder citizens. Elder citizens, she said, appreciated all these “little changes” they had been seeing – for example access to housing, free education and social grants. They really appreciate these because it was tough during their days, she said.
Wearing her Pedi traditional attire, called metseka, she smiled and explained that on 6 May 2019, she was visited by people who offered her an opportunity to vote at home, but she declined. She did so, she said, because people are not trustworthy and she suspected they could have made her vote for a party she didn’t want because they came to her house while there was no other people who could witness her voting.
“I wanted to go to the voting station to vote for the party I trust because they have given me pension grant. Now I’m surviving through it,” said Koko Mokgolobotho.
She smiled and said in Sepedi: “Ge e le bomabina go solwa ba ba mekgatlo ga ke ba tsome – ba be ba le kae kgale?” (As for these new parties I want nothing to do with them – where were they all along?).
She is now happy because she managed to walk to Masibudi Primary School and put her vote into the ballot box herself. – Mukurukuru Media
