As elections kicked off on Wednesday, a small community in Keiskammahoek vowed not to vote — or let anyone else in the area do so — due to a dispute over millions of rand owed to them in land claims.
For the past two days, the community of Lower Zingcuka has been protesting, blocking access to the village and preventing special voting.
It is one of nine voting stations disrupted by communities in the Eastern Cape to vent their grievances with the government.
Community members said the people of Lower Zingcuka had resolved not to vote.
The stance is across party lines.
On Tuesday, supporters of different political parties — the EFF, ANC and Mmusi Maimane’s BOSA — could be seen among community members in their party regalia.
Community members said each family stood to get up to R522,000 in cash when the land claims money was paid out.
Fundiswa Adonis said they decided to close the Lower Zingcuka Primary School, which was to be used as a voting station, in protest because they had been waiting for 26 years for their claims to be finalised.
“We are fighting for our rights ... last year, they approved the claim and they told us it had been signed by the minister.
“They asked that each household create a bank account so we could get our money.
“We did all of that but it’s been quiet.”
Community members had been asking officials from the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development to come and explain the delay to them, but were told the department could commit to a meeting only on June 5.
“So we decided to close our school, we are not voting in this village,” she said.
Another resident, Phindiwe Mdladlana, said they would not vote because if they did, after the poll no-one would listen to their cries.
Mdladlana said families were not asking for the funds so it could be spent in taverns; it was for traditional rituals that had not been done when families were moved.
“This will also be used to build tombstones as a reminder for our children.”
Reggies Ngcobo, spokesperson for agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza, confirmed the department was aware of the issue.
The department was surprised residents had closed down the voting station because it had committed to paying the first group on May 31.
Eighty-eight households with 544 beneficiaries stood to benefit.
“Everything has been communicated, from time to time. The problem is the politics that they are playing.”
Addressing the media on Tuesday, provincial electoral officer Kayakazi Magudumana said of the nine disrupted voting stations in the region, seven eventually opened.
The stations are in the Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Ntabankulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipalities and Intsika Yethu municipality.
Two which had not opened were at Lower Zingcuka and another in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality.
Magudumana said King Sabata Dalindyebo mayor Nyaniso Nelani and the speaker addressed the community, to no avail.
She said in Amahlathi — where Lower Zingcuka is located — three people who were registered for a special vote could not vote.
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