'If we don’t vote, nothing is going to change' - Limpopo resident sounds polls rallying call
Limpopo residents are tired of the dismal health services in the province and are determined to make a change at the ballot box.
FILE: A voting station sign during voter registration. Picture: Eyewitness News
LOUIS TRICHARDT - As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy this year, the quality of healthcare in Limpopo has left some residents questioning government priorities when it comes to the provision of basic services.
Water woes and inconsistent electricity supply in the province have undermined productivity at clinics, hospices and other healthcare facilities.
The Levubu clinic outside Louis Trichardt has been one of the hardest hit medical facilities as it had to rely on a generator for power supply for months.
Some registered voters have told Eyewitness News that the decay of healthcare in Limpopo can only be resolved through the ballot.
In the past 30 years, the Limpopo health department has faced a handful of challenges, some of which were due to the country’s failure to provide clean water and consistent power supply.
In fact, the department came under fire in 2022 when it halted elective surgeries due to stage six load shedding, which increased surgical backlogs at public facilities.
But Limpopo’s Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has insisted on several occasions that the public health system won't improve until political leaders stop travelling abroad for medical attention.
This sentiment has also been echoed by Ragosebo Segoane, an elderly Sekhukhune resident who visits her local clinic monthly.
"If we don’t vote, nothing is going to change. The only way to get what we want is to put an X on the ballot paper. I really encourage everyone to register to vote."
In Sekhukhune, several households have resorted to drilling boreholes and installing JoJo tanks.
Residents have confirmed to Eyewitness News that some local clinics rely solely on groundwater to assist patients.