Nozito Xalipi, a Kariega resident nearing 106, has watched South Africa transform from apartheid to democracy. Daily Maverick reports that her perspective contrasts physical infrastructure gains with current socio-economic crises. Born in Kirkwood in 1920, she moved through Despatch and KwaLanga before settling in Kariega around 1953. She celebrated her upcoming birthday with family, reflecting on a life defined by significant community changes.

Xalipi described KwaNobuhle as once being open veld with no streets. She recalled walking across fields to reach Dora Nginza Hospital when services were quick. Today, she observes deterioration, with long queues and patients sleeping on floors. "What kind of freedom is this?" she asked, questioning life quality despite political shifts. She noted that her family left Kirkwood due to a lack of opportunities, yet she cannot fully praise the government when basic services like water and electricity remain unreliable in many areas.

While acknowledging that her generation cooked over wood fires and often worked without pay, Xalipi argued that the current generation faces a different battle. The absence of jobs has led to widespread poverty, which she links directly to rising rates of drug and alcohol addiction among the youth. She expressed deep concern that unemployed young people are turning to crime, which often results in imprisonment or death. Poverty makes people desperate, causing leaders to focus on internal party infighting rather than addressing the needs of the people.

"They are fighting against each other while our children are dying of poverty and drugs," she said, highlighting the disconnect between political maneuvering and daily struggles. Xalipi has always voted, viewing it as a duty to those who died for current freedoms. She urged younger generations to vote for change, believing that elected officials have failed to create jobs and are instead looking after themselves and their families. Her message is clear: the struggle for economic survival continues, and only through active political engagement can the next generation hope to resolve the crises of unemployment and addiction that plague modern South Africa.