A visit to Salt River ANC Constituency Office

The biggest ANC constituency office in the Western Cape is based at its regional headquarters in Salt River. People’s Assembly caught up with Glen Geswindt, Parliamentary Constituency officer to Marius Fransman, leader of the ANC in the Western Cape and Deputy Minister of International Relations.

Geswindt Glen Geswindt, Parliamentary Constituency Officer to Marius Fransman

“We mainly deal with community issues. If people can’t meet with their MPs they come to us and ask us to take their queries forward,” says Geswindt.

He explains that at present he is involved in the case of a woman who has been working for the same security company for 20 years. In 2012 while using an elevator at work it fell; she was injured and unable to work. She approached the ANC’s Salt River Constituency Office because the company she works for has not paid her out.

Geswind has taken up the matter with her employer. “If I don’t have luck with the company, then I’ll go to the unions. The last resort is to go through parliament” he says.

When asked if people ever approach this constituency office to gain more information about what is going on in parliament, Geswindt replies, “Yes, occasionally if a law if being discussed that has received a lot of publicity then people come and ask about it. We try and get them material or arrange for a public debate or arrange for them to go to parliament to attend committee meeting.”

He also arranges parliamentary tours for school kids and the elderly and is involved in outreach programmes.

A lot of his time is spent doing logistics, such as booking venues, co-ordinating his MPs’ schedule, whether they need to attend branch meetings or an election rally. “I also have to mobilise communities. I need to speak to NGOs, businesses and other stakeholders to try and get them to come to mass meetings.” says Geswindt.

He also needs to co-ordinate food for the pre-election volunteers - approximately 1 700 people – who are canvassing in the Metro area as well as Atlantis and Khayelitsha. As a member of the Retreat branch, Geswind also goes on door-to-door campaigns himself. “Sometimes when you knock on doors, they slam the door in your face,” laughs Geswindt. He explains that he seldom directly asks them to vote for the ANC, instead gets their details and asks them if they are registered to vote.

He adds that while most MPs have a constituency area, because Fransman is the leader of the province, Geswind has to be mobile, often having to travel to places such as Beaufort West. “I’m often working on the road, working out of my car... that can be challenging” says Gewindt.

When asked what the most satisfying aspect of his job is, Geswindt answers, “When somebody comes to you and says they haven’t been paid and you arrange for that to happen or a guy hasn’t received his pension for nine months and with your help after one week, he gets it, that is the most satisfying part of job”. He adds that even if he cannot help people, sometimes people just appreciate being listened to.

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