Durban - Voter registration continued on Sunday under a heavy police presence in Burlington, Shallcross, after a community hall being used as a voter registration centre was petrol-bombed on Saturday.
The hall is next to a crèche and clinic. On Sunday, voter registration continued in a tent pitched on an open field a few kilometres from the hall.
“This unrest will most probably intensify as election campaigning continues, because people are angry and fed up,” said a resident.
He said the sentiment in the community was that people were not going to vote because promises made to them before the last elections had still not been delivered on.
“I’ve lived here since 1990. In this community people elected to be in steering committees fail to give proper feedback to the community and they and their friends have been the first to benefit from RDP houses. People are fed up with this,” he said.
At the voting station residents Sibulele Mantsentse and Mncedisi Mnyameni said the community had been split into two groups: those whose names appeared on the list for an RDP housing project and those who were hellbent on grabbing land earmarked for the project.
Mantsentse, who has lived in the area since 2004, said he was looking forward to casting his vote.
“I want to see more being done in this area when it comes to education and health. We have a mobile clinic that comes here every Monday, but the problem starts when you are referred to RK Khan Hospital; everyone has complaints about this hospital.”
Mantsentse said they needed a primary school in the area to save parents money spent transporting children to schools in Malvern and Shallcross.
Provincial electoral officer Mawethu Mosery said voter registration in the province was marred by protests relating to service delivery.
“There were 10 of these protest actions across the province, but with the help of police we managed to get people registered.
“A problem area was Umbumbulu, outside Durban, where IEC officials were not able to enter due to slippery gravel roads,” he said.
Mosery said the persistent rain over the weekend had prevented officials from registering voters at two stations; the IEC was looking into provisions to register voters at these stations.
Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said four people were expected to appear in court today in relation to voter registration incidents.
Two were arrested in connection with the petrol-bombing of the Burlington Heights Community Hall.
“Two other suspects were arrested at Upper Tugela for stealing IEC banners. The suspects will appear today in Bergville Magistrate’s Court,” he said.