Elderly residents in Durban have given the Ramaphosa Presidency a thumbs up. Topping their wish list is safety of the elderly, elimination of drugs and other social ills. They spoke to SABC News from John Dunn House in Austerville, south of Durban.
It was a Saturday morning filled with smiles and tales of yester years. Now in the prime of their lives, they have lived through apartheid and also tasted freedom since 1994.
They believe President Cyril Ramaphosa has what it takes to be a good president.
Narainsamy Naidoo says: “In apartheid, whites gave us a hard time. We carried on, I overlooked it. The message is poverty, jobs, create all that – people are living in the bush, on the street. There is no food, no work. I’m free now. We are not worried because we are free. I am happy that he is taking over and I think that he is going to make a lot of changes. If you go on the right path, we are all going to be with you.”
But they would like him to prioritise their safety.
Carol Harris, 72-years-old, says: “When I was living in Montclaire, I was mugged eight times. I was attacked in the street, held up at gun point, stabbed. That was really awful. I think they need to be a lot stricter. I think they must tighten up some of the laws.”
Some of their concerns include poverty, unemployment and crime.
Julie Fortein, 75-years-old, says: “We are free to go where we want to go but you not safe. In those days, you were safe. We got to many drugs in our community. Children that don’t get jobs – they turn to drugs. You can’t even go to church in town, where you used to go because you are scared to get mugged. I have been mugged how many times, my earrings pulled off my ear. I hope that Cyril [Ramaphosa] will make a better President than our last President. I have faith in him. There’s this one here by us in eThekwini, they say if she gets fired, they going to burn eThekwini down, I mean please! Please!”
Although they did not travel to Pretoria, they made sure to watch the Presidential inauguration proceedings on television.
