- Democratic Alliance candidate Gogo Bonangani Gabela has promised cheaper traditional herbs if voters elect her in ward 2 in Melmoth.
- The party says it changed its normal candidate selection process after residents demanded that the popular street vendor represent them.
A KwaZulu-Natal granny who sells traditional herbs to help men with their bedroom problems is promising to cut her prices if voters put her in office.
Gogo Bonangani Gabela, a familiar face at the Melmoth taxi rank, has become a social media sensation after the Democratic Alliance chose her as its ward 2 candidate in Mthonjaneni.
She is standing in the local government elections on Wednesday, 4 November.
Gogo Gabela has told voters she will not make promises she cannot keep. Instead, she says she will make her traditional herbs cheaper if she wins.
The granny, who also sells fruit and vegetables, says she knows the struggles of ordinary people because she faces them every day.
“My kids I am not educated and I can’t even write my name but all I know is that my community needs development and job opportunities,” she said.
She said street vendors sometimes spend an entire day at the taxi rank without selling anything.
Some are forced to throw away their fruit and vegetables because they cannot find customers before the food goes bad.
Others give their unsold goods to homeless people.
Gogo Gabela said this was painful because many vendors have unemployed children and grandchildren depending on them.
“That is why I want change so that at least our children and grandkids could have job opportunities not to suffer like us,” she said.
She also wants to help residents find jobs created by local business people, although she has made it clear that she cannot create those jobs herself.
Her popularity has now spread beyond the taxi rank.
Videos of her asking people to vote for her while calling them her children have been widely shared on social media.
Last week, she addressed the Democratic Alliance’s final election rally, which was attended by party leader Geordin Hill-Lewis.
She told supporters that her traditional herbs had helped many people with different health problems.
But getting her name onto the ballot paper was not straightforward.
KwaZulu-Natal Democratic Alliance leader Sthembiso Ngema told Scrolla.Africa that Gogo Gabela had worked as a party activist for more than 10 years.
He said residents insisted that the party choose her as their candidate.
The party eventually agreed to set aside its normal selection process to meet the community’s demands.
“We had to put aside the normal processes of the DA to accommodate the community demands as they wanted Gogo Gabela to be their candidate,” said Ngema.
He said the party had also faced criticism for overlooking her despite her years of hard work.
Ngema said Gogo Gabela was loved in the community and was well known for selling traditional medicine.
Despite her new political role, she continues selling herbs, fruit and vegetables at the Melmoth taxi rank.
And she has a special message for the people she calls her children.
“I would be very much happy if my children vote for me and I really appreciate what they are doing on social media,” she said.
She promised that if she wins the election, she will reward her customers by lowering the prices of her herbs.
