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Umjindi Trust residents missing out on election fever

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There’s at least one place in the whole of South Africa that’s missing out on the election fever. Not a single election poster can be found in Umjindi Trust in Barberton, Mpumalanga.

The rural community is also out of reach when it comes to basic services.

Umjindi Trust has no school, clinic, roads or running water. It takes resident, Anna Mbela, two hours to walk to the nearest clinic.

“I walk a long distance through the bushes to get to the clinic. If I leave here at 7am, I come back after 3pm. There’s no clinic, roads, schools and children are suffering.”

Residents say there is no regular delivery of water at the communal water tank and when it is delivered, it’s hardly good enough for human consumption.

“The water is not clean and there’s nothing we can do because we live far from town. If it rains, we don’t get water and sometimes two weeks just pass without water.”

With just two weeks to the election, there’s little sign or excitement here. Residents say no political parties have come to them and convince them to go to the polls.

Resident, Thulani Bhembe, says there are no employment opportunities in the village and many turn to illegal mining and crime.

“We don’t have jobs. In order to get money, we have to do illegal mining and that’s the difficulty. Political parties are not focusing in this section. They are focusing on townships. That is why you don’t see posters to show us what to vote for. We have been undermined for a long time.”

Despite lack of service delivery or attention from political parties ahead of the elections, residents are optimistic their votes will bring change.

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