Kimberley - Voters who have grown weary of stuffy political speeches and boring rallies were invited to a pamper party at the Warrenton Cultural Resort last weekend to entice them to vote for the ANC.
They will now be able to proudly fill in their ballot papers next week with freshly manicured hands.
Warrenton DA councillor Jan Louw stated that up to 100 women were given beauty treatments by the ANC on April 25.
“They must have enlisted the services of a professional beautician to do pedicures and manicures, while they were also provided with transport and refreshments at the event.
“They came out looking beautiful, with new hairdos and black dresses. You know, pedicures require expensive foot soaks. We hope that DA leader Mmusi Maimane will also treat his supporters in this fashion after the elections!”
He, however, questioned whether the venue was offered free of charge.
“Even if the venue was not paid for, the facility still needs to pay for its expenses and the staff. The facility would lose out on a lot of revenue if it was utilised for free. The same venue was used during Freedom Day celebrations to hand out implements and tools to small, medium and micro enterprises.”
Louw added that while a signboard advertised the opening of a new mall in Warrenton on June 1, he was doubtful as to whether it would be realised as no construction had started.
Another community member from Warrenton believed that the pamper party money would have been better spent on skills development.
“They should have trained these young women to be able to generate their own income by doing pedicures and manicures. All the women who were treated at the pedicure party were unemployed. Manicured nails will not secure employment or put food on the table.”
ANC provincial spokesperson Naledi Gaosekwe said the programme was led by provincial ANC Youth League (ANCYL) chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba for young women in Warrenton.
“As part of the ANCYL campaign trail, the ANC visited different regions, engaging young people on the ANC manifesto and encouraging them to vote for the ANC on May 8.”
She added that with the elections fast approaching, provincial officials attended a final state of readiness assessment meeting in Irene, Johannesburg on Tuesday to ensure that all structures were prepared for election day.
“The provincial secretary, provincial head of elections, provincial treasurer, provincial elections team co-ordinator and regional elections team co-ordinators were required to attend the meeting. All provinces were expected to submit state of readiness reports by Monday (April 29).”