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Despite threats of a shutdown in the area, the community of Vuwani turned out peacefully to cast their votes on election day.
Election officials were on high alert, following unrest in the area earlier this week, when the community went on a total shutdown as they continued to demand that their area be reincorporated under the Makhado Local Municipality by the Municipal Demarcation Board.
Police were on standby to mitigate any violence which may erupt.
On Wednesday, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize said the government remained committed to the agreement reached in January this year.
“Following a number of engagements that government had with all the stakeholders, traditional leaders and the Pro-Makhado Task Team, it is regrettable that there are those calling for people to boycott the elections.
“We advise communities in Vuwani to exercise their right to vote and we are happy with reports that many people are voting in Vuwani,” said Mkhize who met with various community representatives in January.
At that meeting, the stakeholders agreed that political processes such as registering to vote and the actual voting will be allowed to proceed without hindrances.
Today, some community members even donned the T-shirts of their respective political parties, as they turned up at the voting stations.
Although the majority of the youth had decided not to vote, Fhatuwani Tshithavhane (31) from Tshitungulwane village said he was voting because he believed that would bring change in his community.
The electrical engineer was on his way to cast his vote at Ratshikwekwete Secondary School.
“I feel it is important that I vote because in that way I get to have a voice in terms of who gets to govern the country, including my own community,” he said.
On Tuesday, the community together with the Pro-Makhado Demarcation Task Team, embarked on a total shutdown that included schools and local businesses, and vowed not to vote.
Service delivery issues such as water and sanitation remained among the biggest challenges several villages still encountered.
Contrary to what had been expected to take place – such as the youth staying away from voting stations and engaging in football or dancing activities, as the Pro-Makhado Demarcation chairperson Takalani Emmanuel Mukhudi had said on Tuesday – the community was calm and residents went out to cast their votes.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said various police units had been deployed around the area for safety reasons.
Mojapelo could not confirm whether or not Pro-Makhado Dermacation Task Team spokesperson Arnold Mulaudzi had been arrested on Tuesday night, as it had been claimed.
“So far we can confirm that one person was arrested last night. Due to confidentiality issues, we cannot divulge any further [details],” he said.
Meanwhile the government has called on the people of Vuwani to continue to exercise their right to vote for their voices to be heard.
This is not the first time the Vuwani community has been shut down during election time. Leading up to the 2016 local government election the area experienced unprecedented violence in the area, resulting in almost 30 schools being burnt.
– Mukurukuru Media. Additional reporting by SAnews.gov.za
