No greener pastures for Eastern Cape economic migrants in mining NW towns
The electoral commission's message is that people can only vote where they are registered, but many voters who have relocated haven’t bothered to update their details.
MARIKANA - Economic migrants who have settled across the mining towns of the North West say the bad governance they ran away from has followed them to the province.
Communities like Marikana, Maditlokwa and Nkaneng are a melting pot of diverse ethnicities from across South Africa.
The electoral commission's message is that people can only vote where they are registered, but many voters who have relocated haven’t bothered to update their details.
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On official government records, one North West village is listed as Nkaneng however residents call it eNkanini.
True to its name – which loosely translates to place of defiance. This has become a joke that makes reference to the large influx of Xhosa people from the Eastern Cape - who forced their way into a predominantly Setswana community.
Resident Nokuthula Nondonga says the water issues have followed her from the Eastern Cape to the North West.
“I will eventually go back home to the Eastern Cape, but first I want to make sure that my children get jobs at the mines first and are able to sustain themselves.”
Another Eastern Cape native Sandisile Sthule says he has given up on ever finding a permanent job at the mine in his old age.
“When the mines are hiring from the community, they don’t prioritise people who have been here for the longest time. People bring their relatives from back home to get hired.”
Voting stations in Marikana, Maditlokwa and Nkaneng have reported a low turnout of people registering or updating their personal details over the weekend.
