Campaign posters line streets across South Africa for general elections just one month away, but voters say enduring poverty and poor public services have left them disenchanted with politics.

Nowhere is that sentiment more pronounced that in the Eastern Cape, one of the country's poorest provinces that was the birthplace of former President Nelson Mandela.

The populous coastal province has helped steer the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to landslide victories since the first all-race election in 1994 that brought Mandela to office after the end of apartheid.

Although the ANC is expected to win the 22 April polls, voters are questioning its track record in fighting poverty in a nation where 43 percent of the 48 million population live on less than two dollars a day.

Corruption and dissatisfaction

Even with corruption charges handing over ANC leader and presidential hopeful Jacob Zuma, analysts doubt that the dissatisfaction will be strong enough to cost them the election.

The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) suffers from an image as a party for whites. The new ANC splinter group the Congress of the People (Cope) is still cutting its teeth, and most smaller parties have little national presence.

In the town of Mthatha, gigantic billboards bearing Zuma's face tower above rickety mudhuts and littered roads — promising a better life for all.

"I see all the hype, but the fact of the matter is that no one cares about us, development has only happened in urban areas. We have been forgotten," said Maxhoba Lobe.

The majority of the Eastern Cape's population lives in the countryside where they struggle against poverty, unemployment and non-existent sanitation.

In the picturesque seafront village of Mqanduli, 25 kilometres from Mthatha, residents share drinking water wells with donkeys and cattle.

There is no electricity and no roads. The pathways are treacherous, only navigated on horseback. Their image of the rest of South Africa comes from television sets powered by car batteries.

"We had been promised a better life but we only see it on TV. Urban areas like Soweto and other areas in Johannesburg are being developed," said Bongani Tofile, an unemployed youth.

Cope not any better

Nor does he believe the breakaway Cope will end the plight of the poor any better than their erstwhile colleagues in the ANC.

"They have been governing the country before forming this party. They are part and parcel of the problems we see today," said Tofile.

Cope premier candidate for the Eastern Cape, Wiseman Nkuhlu, has been criss-crossing the province, selling his party to the voters.

He told a group of about 150 supporters gathered at the local chief's homestead that Cope would work hard to improve public services by fighting corruption and misuse of funds.

"Corruption is the biggest challenge in government. As Cope we will elect people with uncompromised integrity to positions of power," Nkuhlu told the villagers.

Nkuhlu was former President Thabo Mbeki's top financial adviser — which does little to combat the impression that the party is made up mainly of Mbeki loyalists disgruntled by his sacking in September last year.

"The ANC does not appreciate our loyalty... look around here, nothing at all has changed," Nosisa Nkomfe said after the rally. But the 70-year-old grandmother added: "I am not sure if can trust this new party."

"We are still yearning for a better life," she said.

Mthatha's mayor Siyakholwa Mlamli says the ANC remains confident of victory.

"We are proud of our 15 years in government and we are confident about the future," he said.

He blamed the poor service delivery backlog to the former apartheid regime, which neglected development in black areas.

"It is unreasonable to expect the wrongs committed over 300 years of colonialism and segregation to be completely undone in 15 years," he said.

Sapa

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