Picture: Emerald Street, Laudium
By Naadiya Adams
There’s a vibe in town and its set to unite the community of Laudium, ahead of voting day.
As the country edges closer to the polls, the overarching sentiment has been the inherent need for change in a ward that has traditionally belonged to the ruling party for years, now the new kid on the block is seemingly offering a worthy alternative.
This weekend saw the Jacaranda suburb of Laudium brought to life in beautiful green, Action SA is creating the kind of unison ambiance not often felt by the local community.
Known for its beautiful purple flowers during this time of the year, the City of Tshwane’s Ward 61 is sporting purple and green this year, as Action SA makes their mark wrapping Jacaranda trees in the colour they have become synonymous with.
They say the colour is representative of rebirth.
“Green signifies growth and renewal, spring and rebirth. As well as prosperity that ActionSA is and endeavours to bring to the residents of the Ward and the political arena of our country,” says candidate Prajay Ramjee.
While the impact of the election campaigns will only show on voting day Action SA’s ward candidate Prajay Ramjee says win or lose, they are here to stay and they are set to transform a divided community.
“We've delivered the message. Now we let the people decide. Win or not we are here to stay. Our country deserves the best,” says Ramjee.
For the first time in history, Ward 61 is being highly contested and while the ANC remains confident that they will keep the ward, Action SA has made tremendous strides in winning the support of the people.
Ramjee is a face people have come to know and trust over the years, having been at the forefront of safety and security in the community, he’s a force that has uplifted the area for years. Now as the face of Action SA’s campaign in the region, he is equipped to continue serving and service delivery is top of his agenda.
“To improve the current service delivery levels our Community not only needs but deserves and to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure to modern-day needs. Furthermore, to ensure that the municipal by-laws are upheld,” said Ramjee.
Meanwhile the ANC’s confidence has not wavered. The party’s candidate in the ward, Naeem Patel, who is opposing Ramjee, said at a briefing with Minister of Police Bheki Cele last week in Erasmia that the ANC will deliver the ward once more in these local government elections.
“I must say to the Minister, this is traditionally an ANC area, we always win elections here and we say a message from us as the community of Laudium, go back to the NEC and say to the President, we will deliver this ward again to the ANC,” declared Patel.
While the residents of Laudium remain disillusioned by the ruling party, some feel the ANC and Candidate Patel are the only way forward.
“I am a resident of Laudium since birth, my heart belongs to my town. It is heartbreaking that we have witnessed the downward spiral of our suburb. Some evident issues being constant water outages, violent crime, illegal dumping, littering, the Laudium CBD a shadow of its former self, unsafe parks and family facilities,” said a local resident.
“It is your right to vote for whoever your want . My only plea as an ordinary citizen is for you to please make sure your vote counts towards the candidate who will uplift our town.”
Actions SA says that people in general are fed up & they are providing a better alternative. They’re confident that they have raised enough awareness of the party's & candidate's values and the change they will bring.
“As for votes. We'll know soon enough,” said Ramjee.
Abdul Kader Kurtha says he believes Naeem is a champion of human rights and equality.
Poobalan Padayachy says he's known Naeem for the last 25 years, "very involved in community activities but what's impressed me most is his involvement in the Covid-19 pandemic voluntary going out of his way to assist people."
The anticipation continues to mount as we approach the November 1st Polls.
