With South Africa now poised for its 7th general elections, Eyewitness News has taken to the streets across the country, feeling the pulse of the nation as citizens prepare for the national and provincial polls. In the Eastern Cape, pupils in eDikidikini are forced to cross dangerous rivers among other survival tactics, on the back of repeated failed promises from government to build much-needed bridges and roads.
South Africans have become accustomed to witnessing footage of people crossing flooded rivers. Eyewitness News visited the community of eDikidikini near Flagstaff in the OR Tambo District, where crossing more than 100 metres of murky waters of the Mzintlava River is a part of daily life for learners and residents alike, just to get to school on the banks of the river. It becomes especially difficult for young pupils at the Mneketshe Combined School on the banks of the Mzintlava River when it rains and the river overflows. Pupils are forced to completely immerse themselves in the river in order to get to school