The Constitutional Court findings on Nkandla may have turned the president from citizen number one to public enemy number one, but there are those who still believe in the president and don’t hide where their loyalty lies. KWAZI DLAMINI spoke to some Durbanites who still plan to vote ANC to find out why.
Mfundo Zicaka, 26, security guard, Nongoma
This is a smear campaign against Msholozi. There are people within the ANC who want him gone. Politics is a dirty game but fortunately the president is a strong man; he will survive. The ANC is the party of our forefathers and the ANC liberated us from apartheid. That is why I will never vote for any other political party. They might have made some mistakes in the past, but we all make mistakes and that does not undo all the things they have done for the people since 1994. The president is still very much part of the party. He is still the president of the ANC and the president of the state. He represents us as ANC members and also represents South Africa as a whole.
Fikiswa Nogula, 32, unemployed, Ntuzuma
One question I always ask people when they ask me why am I still voting for the ANC is, if not the ANC then who should I vote for? I grew up knowing the ANC and I cannot vote for a party that was founded two years ago. The ANC does a lot of good things for the people; I managed to raise my children with their child support grant. The party may face problems and that’s politics but I still believe they are representing us well. Zuma is still part of the ANC and is still our leader. People should not blame Zuma that much because most of the decisions he makes, he discusses them with other structures within the party. The biggest problem the party is facing its backstabbing and [that] the media is out to get the ANC.
Athi Sokhela, 23, student, KwaDabeka
I think the ANC is the party that represents everyday South Africans like me; they speak to our needs. That is the reason why I still vote for them. I think the ANC has lost its values throughout the years – it is a shadow of its old self. It is not the same party Tata Nelson Mandela left. Honestly speaking, I no longer vote for the president but I do it for the party; the president has failed us so many times, it beats me why he is still the president. The president is still the leader of the party but he is definitely not doing a good job and I think he is the reason the ANC will lose even more votes in the coming elections.
Nolwazi Ngubo, 35, domestic worker, Avoca Hills
The ANC is the party that liberated us from apartheid in 1994; we have to stick by it through thick and thin. The current president may not be doing a great job but his term will end and we will get a new president. I have been voting for the ANC all these years and I will not change because of Zuma. I am not doing it for him, but for the party. I think some of the things Zuma does, does not represent the goals and visions of the ANC. I think he takes some decisions without consulting his advisors or colleagues.
Nkosinathi Sikobi, 30, fresh produce seller, Sydenham
People should let the president finish his term with peace because all politicians are all liars and corrupt. The president even apologised to the nation; that should be enough because we all make mistakes and only God should judge him. The apartheid government bullied [us and] killed our grandfathers for decades but we forgave them. But we cannot forgive one black man who made a mistake. Where is the logic in that? The ANC is doing well as a party but it is the opposition parties who always want to show something bad about the ANC and do their job. Zuma may have made some bad decisions but he is still one of us.
Sbusiso Gambushe, 29, driver, Port Shepstone
No man, ANC is home and when there are problems at home you don’t just take your bags and leave but you stay until things get better, because they always do. The party is just going through a rough patch and there is no denying that the president is the cause of all that. My personal opinion is that the NEC should have recalled the president before he does more damage than he already did. I am not going to lie, the ANC is in shambles right now. I am against all kinds of corruption so the president is doing everything in his own capacity but the problem is that he is being protected.
Awethu Vundla, 25, hospitality student, Molweni
I don’t follow politics and I don’t know much even about the Nkandla issue. At home when I was growing up, the ANC was the only party being mentioned at home, and as a child you always follow what your parents follow. It has been representing us well in the previous years but ever since Zuma took over, the party is always in the news for all the wrong reasons. The president is still part of the ANC and the president of this country so he should be respected as such. All the problems facing ANC are part of politics and will eventually pass.
Mzukisi Ndlela, 28, street vendor, Nqutu
Our people have been brainwashed by the media. The opposition parties use the media to turn people against Zuma and the ANC, and unfortunately some of us are not falling for it. The ANC is the only party that has been with black people from the start. This is politics and people just take anything they read in the news, thinking it is true. The ANC is still doing good for us. I always see people ranting on Facebook, and they forget that majority rules and majority put him there. The biggest problem facing the ANC currently is the media, they write false stories to sell their papers.
Voxes have been edited for brevity and clarity
