She rushed to where the President was voting in Chiawelo, Soweto, hoping that she would be a given a chance to speak to him before he leaves but unfortunately her frantic cries fell on deaf ears as Ramaphosa walked away surrounded by his heavy security personnel. Imameleng Raphuthing yelled "Mr Ramaphosa my president, please sir have mercy on me and my children. Please listen to me, my children are suffering and you are my last hope."
"DON'T DO THIS TO ME"
Raphuthing said this was her last shot at speaking to the president. "Don't do this to me my father, I'm begging you. You have to help me. I voted in 1994 and now it's been 30 years." She begged the security stationed at the school to let her speak to Ramaphosa, but they pulled her away. "You have to listen to me, no one knows what I've been through in life. Thirty years of my so-called democratic life, my children and I have been living in the apartheid regime. I don't have a house, my seven children and have never received child grants but I voted in 1994 and I'm a member of the ANC since I was 20 years old."
MY CHILDREN'S LIVES ARE RUINED
She said her 18-year-old daughter was doing Grade 12 last year but was very discouraged to complete it. "She asked me why she should waste her time studying hard if she'll be staying at home afterwards because she doesn't have an ID. We've tried seeking help everywhere, but the doors were shut in our faces. We have foreign nationals who have houses in this country and IDs but here I am with nothing. This is not fair, I live like a foreigner in my own country. We have never enjoyed anything in this country."Raphuthing said she felt betrayed and helpless and all hope is gone because she couldn't speak to Ramaphosa.