Coloureds had it better under Apartheid
Etienne Marais
Cape Town — Much has been said about the 'coloured vote' in the
Western Cape being the ANC's Achilles heel. Being the one province in
the country that does not have a majority black population - the ANC's
traditional voter base - and the ANC's inability to woo coloured
voters to provide them with an outright win has seen Cape Town swing
between the DA and ANC until the DA gathered strength with the winning
the province in 2009.
Not even Nelson Mandela's reign in the early days of democracy was
able to grant the ANC an outright majority vote in the province. West
Cape News hit the streets of Grassy Park in an effort to obtain
insight into the mood ahead of upcoming local government elections.
Among the tens of coloured people canvassed during a day in Grassy
Park, most elderly people said a lack of jobs and high levels of crime
reflected badly on the ANC. Leaning toward the right, a number of
people said their lifestyles were better under apartheid, despite the
fact of forced removals.
"They should have left things as they were. Before, there was very
little crime, the death penalty was in, and one could send your
children to the shop at night. Everybody had jobs. People were given
houses and not put out on the streets like now. In 1994," said a
resident who did not want to be identified.
She said despite the Group Areas Act, the apartheid government
provided for them. "People who were kicked out of Constantia were put
in council flats. Look at the way people are living now. People are
not put into flats. Now there is crime and drugs. Why vote for the ANC
if all of this is happening?" she said.
Another major grievance was the issue of affirmative action, which
most viewed as form of reverse racism, with black candidates trumping
coloured applicants.
"It is a black apartheid now. The ANC has nothing to do with us.
Blacks get the jobs first. They don't give it to coloureds and
whites," said 81 year old Acarr Achmat.
Many also feel that they have been left out in the cold by the ANC
even though they joined them in the struggle against apartheid. "The
ANC is 100 percent prejudiced. I fought just as hard as them. We had
the same problem. I was part of them. Now I am an outcast. They do
absolutely nothing for us... (but) we are black too," said 62 year old
Nasser Burkh.
"The DA is more supportive of the coloured people," said a woman who
did not want to be named. "The ANC is more for black people."
The ANC's reputation in the province has also been damaged by the
perception of empty promises and a lack of progress when it comes to
improving conditions in predominantly coloured communities.
"The ANC makes empty promises. Nothing materialises,"said Kevin van
der Ross, while other pointed to DA-led housing initiatives on the
Cape Flats.
But a few felt exploited by the DA. "Many of our people are not
educated and informed. People are politically confused and don't know
who to vote for. Zille has exploited this confusion and makes promises
to the people. But after the votes, everything is back to normal and
she doesn't care," said a man who did not want to be named.
For others, coloured people's loyalty to the DA was a matter of racial
identity in the negative, voting for the DA not because it was a
'coloured party', but because the ANC was perceived as black.
Younger residents tended to be disillusioned with both parties.
Twenty three year old Gaironeesa Zimri said casting a vote was
"useless" as political parties did not deliver on their promises.
"This country is in a big mess. It doesn't matter who you vote for as
nothing has been done. It is useless voting as you will achieve
nothing. The country has gone from bad to worse," she said.