Government of national unity brings hope to the people of Nyakallong

Thabang Thembani

The beautiful narrative of the first South African democratic elections in 1994 is expressed from
generation to generation as a reminder of the struggles the black majority went through, but also
as a daily celebration and gratitude is given to freedom that was passionately fought for by the
then oppressed majority of South Africa and other concerned communities. When people cast
their first votes.
However, the narrative seems to have changed in the mine-hosting community called
Nyakallong. The history of Nyakallong reveals that this township was influenced by the mines
that surround it. People who came to reside in Nyakallong were mostly from the farms and
were farm workers during the apartheid times. The first cohort to settle in this area was seeking
greener pastures in the mines. ‘I remember very well how excited I was when my husband told
me that we were going to be staying in the township because he had found a job at the mine. I
couldn’t wait, we moved immediately and I voted for the first time here in Nyakallong, it was in
1994. But now the mine my husband was working in shut down and I had to resort to domestic
work to sustain our family and on the other hand, jobs are very scarce. I hope voting this year is
going to be able to change things around.’
The majority of people in this community share the same feelings as Mme Masekese because
they allude to the fact that voting gave them hope that for once their voices are going to be
heard and they will finally live wherever they want and work without any exploitation.
Ntate Maseng, a Riverside resident who is badly affected by the disaster of Voelpan that has
caused social, environmental, and health furor in the lives of people living in Riverside. Where
overflowing of toxic water discharged by the mine seeped into people’s yards and houses. It is
not what we truly expected to experience one day, that our voting power will be taken for
granted like this. However, we believe the elections of 2024 will bring change as the people
have shown that they are the important voice in this country and the government of national
unity will be able to reflect that wish per the people’s desires

The general understanding of the majority of the Nyakallong community remains to be a
nonchalant approach towards the result of this year,2024 but with little hope for change since
the political landscape of this country has slightly changed. We hope this change will have a
positive impact on the mine-hosting community.