By Anita Dangazele
With the ANC taking an early lead in the elections in Eastern Cape on Thursday morning, social media users attacked people in the province for their continued support of the party.
The ANC was leading in the province with 62.3%, followed by the DA on 17.4%, and the EFF on 9.1%.
The Eastern Cape is the poorest province in the country and has the highest expanded and official unemployment rate in the country
Statistics released in May showed that the province’s unemployment rate increased from 41.9% to 42.4% in the first quarter of the year.
Many social media users mocked the province’s residents for “missing an opportunity” to improve their situation.
One Facebook user said: “I’m starting to think the people of the Eastern Cape enjoy telling their sad stories on Cutting Edge.”
Cutting Edge is an SABC TV programme that claims to give “a voice to the usually voiceless ordinary youth of Mzansi”.
Another user wrote: “The province should be renamed the cutting edge province. These people enjoy having to carry coffins on their shoulders because of the lack of roads. I no longer feel sorry for them.”
The final result of the elections is not expected to be known before the weekend.
At about 1pm on Thursday, about 20% of the provincial and national votes had been counted.
Pictured above: Outside a voting station in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
Image source: Anita Dangazele
