It was another case of mixed feeling as the people of Tshwane reacted to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who just a few kilometres away, at the Union Buildings, was being sworn in for his second term of office.
While Champagne flowed at the pomp, no-cent-spared inauguration ceremony, real people with real lives and struggles poured their hearts out over some of the challenges they faced.
A Bolt driver by the name of Musa Mathibela, when asked about Ramaphosa’s performance in the past five years, quipped: “I know he was not involved with Covid-19 pandemic, but because I do not rate that man, I will include him as part of the problem. In fact, he was part of the problem when you recall the PPE (personal protective equipment) corruption that happened during that time,” he said.
Mathibela said he found it difficult to make ends meet in spite of having a job as a driver.
“I can tell you now, the food basket, the petrol prices and just living on a daily basis have become difficult. Having one job is no longer enough, the way life has become so expensive under Ramaphosa. You know, whenever I leave my geyser on, as soon as I remember, I always drive back home because it’s impossible to leave your geyser on during the day. Such simple things have become painful parts of our lives,” he told The Star.
However, Darrel Green of Hatfield said even though he has not been keen on the ANC government and the return of Ramaphosa as president, he was willing to give him a second chance.
“I was not keen on the ANC. However, if he can fix the economy, load shedding and jobs for us, I am willing to give him a chance. We must wait and see what he does after this,” he said.
A second-year accounting student at the University of Pretoria, who did not want to be named, said she was concerned about the high levels of crime and youth unemployment.
“I do not see his return as good or bad. What is important is for him to tackle the issue of crime and youth unemployment which really affect us as more and more young people are struggling to find jobs and fall into crime due to lack of opportunities,” she said.
The Star