Young people from Langa hold a very special place in South Africa's history. It was they who were the heartbeat of Cape Town's anti-apartheid resistance in 1960.
GOOD candidate for the by-election in Ward 51, Ayanda Mayipeli, wants today's generation of young people to drag Cape Town's oldest township into the modern era by invoking their spirit and once again summoning the courage to confront power and hold the powerful to account.
"It is true that over the past 26 years the democratic government has built more houses and made more water and electricity connections than the apartheid government did. But it is also true that the only changes we've experienced in my ward are that the informal settlement has got bigger, backyards are more crowded, public transport is more unsafe, and there is more dirt in the streets," Mayipeli says.
"We've seen the ANC and DA lead Cape Town and the Western Cape. We've seen that neither is serious about improving the environment where we live, so that are lives are more comfortable and dignified – and our children are better positioned to pursue their dreams.
"Once they have our votes we don't see them again. We cannot sit back and wait for better lives to fall from the sky. If we don't challenge their power we will end up waiting forever. We must go to council, sit among them, and make them uncomfortable by holding them to account on behalf of our people."
Mayipeli, 39, is well-known in Langa, having lived there all his life. He said members of the community felt insulted and betrayed by the pattern of promises political parties make in the run-up to elections – only never to be seen again.
Most residents of Ward 51 live in shacks so tightly packed together that it's impossible for service vehicles to access the area. Promised housing projects don't materialise. In winter the streets turn to mud, and water flows through peoples' homes. Most communal taps don't work. Rubbish is dumped in the streets. Children are getting sick.
"I want to be part of a new era of positive change. I believe the youth have the knowledge and the energy to lead this transformation," Mayipeli says.
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