NO CARES: Children in the township of Lusaka, outside Middleburg, play their own skipping rope game. Picture: MARK ANDREWS

Like most Karoo towns, Middelburg  is still divided by colour – but as day  turns to night, the race line begins to  fade, reports Michael Kimberley.
Located in the heart of the Karoo,  the small industrial town is still  separated between black, white and  coloured areas. But this is not visible  at Ol’ Malley’s, a small, run-down  tavern just off the main street.
From the outside, photographer  Mark Andrews and I could see the  seats were filled with all colours of  the rainbow nation – which is exactly  what we wanted. We decided to invade the watering hole and have a  few drinks with the locals on the  fourth day of being on the road. After  all, the most important part of this  trip is to listen to the voters.
Stepping in, the place reeks of spilt  alcohol and stale smoke and as expected we got quite a few beady-eyed  stares, yet the patrons themselves  looked comfortable with each other.  We decided to play a game of pool to  get the locals used to our presence  but this didn’t work.
The patrons continued to stare, so  we bought one table a round of  drinks – a type of forced introduction. The group was from the  Lusaka township , outside Middleburg.
After introductions and a few sips  of ice-cold beer, the atmosphere  lightened up – yet I still felt like I was  being watched.
After talking about East London  and Nick Mallett, the conversation  was steered in the direction of politics.
Admitting the municipality was on  the “verge of collapse”, the table still  remained devoted to the ruling party. Loyal till the end, it seemed the  ANC supporters in Middleburg were  just like avid sports fans. While  quick to point out the “many failures” of the town’s controlling party,  their devotion remained steadfast.

Tshepo Tloubatla, 28, said he was  “happy” with the government’s efforts. Proudly showing his ANC T- shirt, Tloubatla said: “They fought  for us and died for us. We owe them  now. They are doing their best.”
Asked about service delivery, he  said: “Of course it is going to be slow.  The government has more people to  look after now.”
Defending the ruling party, Jackson Fani, 34, said “his people” belonged to the ANC.
“We are the ANC. It is in my blood.  I was born this way. They are my  boss,” said Tloubatla.

Middleburg resident, Henning Harmse spoke openly about life in the small town and the lack of service delivery. Picture: MARK ANDREWS

It quickly became clear Middleburg itself and the surrounding  townships are ANC strongholds.
But the Democratic Alliance did  take a single ward, mostly populated  with coloureds, in the last local government elections.
Barmen Jonathan Booysen, 24,  who lives in the area, said anyone  driving through the town could see  more needed to be done.
Asked if he was voting in the May  18 elections he said: “Ja, of course.  But it does not matter. The DA will  win Midros. It is expected.”
Speaking to Henning Harmse,  smoking outside – as smoking inside  the building is prohibited – the 44- year-old said the government has  “screwed up this country”.
“No one wants to work any more.  Everyone expects hand-outs. It is not  suppose to work that way. The DA  has my full support,” said Harmse.
While the different occupants remained protective about their political affiliations – yet relaxed in  each other’s presence – the hottest of  hot topics, which received criticism  from all, was the demarcation process.
Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality – a combination of Cradock  and Middleburg – was supposed to  “benefit” both towns, but locals feel  they are being overshadowed.
Everyone in the tavern had something negative to say about the amalgamation.
ANC supporter Themba Igiza said:  “It is clearly not working. They need  to go back to the old days on that  one.”
Harmse said: “On paper it works,  but we are being forgotten. All the  money goes to the bigger town. The  council sits there and the mayor  lives there.”
We realised one thing. The ruling  party had succeeded in smudging  out some racial tensions.
And it seemed the patrons of Ol’  Malley’s are the better for it.