Ace Magashule concluded his two-day Western Cape weekend campaign trail at Apostle Mohlala ministries, part of Shekainah healing ministries, in Philippi on Sunday 14 April, where nearly 500 congregants were present for the Sunday service. The ANC Secretary-General had intended to spend the rest of Sunday morning on door-to-door visits in Crossroads, Philippi, but changed his itinerary and went to Grabouw instead.

His campaigning kicked off on Saturday 13 April with door-to-door visits. Magashule spoke to residents in areas including Philippi East, Phola Park and Marikana informal settlement.

The Western Cape is the only province not governed by the ANC. However, Philippi is an ANC stronghold.

Before Magashule’s arrival at the Crossroads church on Sunday, BoyBoy Ntsuma, a caretaker who’s been working at the church for just over a year, said politicians always deliver “empty promises”.

“He is just coming to promise the things that he is not gonna do,” Ntsuma told Daily Maverick.

He highlighted some of the issues in Philippi, such as job creation and housing.

Siyabulela Planga, another caretaker at the church, told Daily Maverick that the community and in particular the church had been struggling to access a number of basic services.

ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule on the campaign trail in Rooidak, in the Overberg, Western Cape, 14 April 2019. Photo: Twitter/@MyANC

“We have issues with electricity and water,” he said.

“Our toilets are not in good condition.”

According to Planga, the community also has problems with infrastructure.

“The roads in the community are also not in good condition. The streets have potholes, so we want those fixed. We want our cars to travel well on the roads,” he said.

Another issue was youth unemployment. A lot of the youth in Philippi are turning to drugs and alcohol because they cannot find stable jobs, according to Planga.

“Our youth is not working. We want people to find jobs and assistance.”

He said he wanted the government to provide the youth with bursaries for higher learning.

Phumeza Naphakade, a Sunday school teacher at the church, also wants to see the youth of Philippi uplifted.

Phumeza Naphakade is a Sunday School teacher at Apostle Mohlala church where ANC Secretary General, Ace Magashule visited as part of his campaign trail on April 14 2019. Photo: Aisha Abdool Karim

“Within our area, I think we should have a system that develops young people because it starts (with them),” she said.

She said the government had neglected the youth in the township.

“We as young people of this community, we feel left out. There’s nothing that involves us. Young people are roaming around the streets every day, they are jobless. There’s a new mall that just opened up (here) but none of the members from our community are employed there.”

She said the community doesn’t have educational resources and as a result, children are dropping out of school.

“There’s no library, there’s nothing. It’s like the government has forgotten us,” she said.

Naphakade, like Ntsuma, is also tired of the government’s “empty promises”. When asked about how she felt about the visit after Magashule had left the church, Naphakade told Daily Maverick that she feels “nothing”.

“We feel like they don’t care about us. Now that they are campaigning for the elections, they are coming to our communities, they’ll give us T-shirts, then boom, they’re gone. They’ll come back after four years for the next campaign,” she said.

Magashule, who was received like a rock star by the congregation, delivered what he called a “sermon”, which had a clear electioneering message. “There is no DA that can do better things for you. You must stand resolute and vote ANC on 8 May” he said.

In his speech, Magashule did not touch on the service delivery and socio-economic challenges within the community, but used political rhetoric peppered with Christian phrases.

“He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the God of the ANC,” Magashule said.

Afterwards, members of the ANC were called on stage where they were prayed for by the leader of the Apostle Mohlala church. Magashule was seated on a gold chair in the centre and referred to as a “king” by the apostle.

When asked whether he felt that visiting churches for electioneering purposes was exploitative, Magashule replied:

“I am a congregant. I have my own church and I always go to churches. I don’t go to churches (only) during elections.”

The ANC Secretary-General, who was Free State premier in the Jacob Zuma era, is campaigning for the ANC under a cloud of controversy – especially after revelations in the controversial book by Pieter-Louis Myburgh, Gangster State – Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture, which is being launched at venues around the country.

The book points to a litany of corruption allegations against Magashule, who has dismissed any accusations of wrongdoing, saying that the book is merely a distraction. DM