[WATCH] #IMadeMyMark @ Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Brentwood Park
Despite a painfully slow queue, voters were positive and making new friends as they patiently waited to make their mark
A peaceful atmosphere greeted the City Times at the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Brentwood Park this morning with a snaking queue slowly making its way into the voting station.
The presiding officer declined to be interviewed, stating he was not allowed to speak to the media, so most information garnered about why the queue was so slow was offered by Democratic Alliance members stationed under a gazebo at the gate to assist with queries and reconfirm voters’ details for their own records.
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#IMadeMyMark: Voters make their mark
This voting station reportedly opened about 20 minutes late as “they had problems with the scanners”.
Voters we spoke to all said the voting station in fact only had one scanner, which was causing the long delays for those eager to get into a voting booth.
What was required, in line with the number of people registered to vote here, was at least 240 voters in and out each hour, but the DA representative said this was definitely not the case by around 11am.
Alphen Park residents Tania Burev (34) and her husband, Dean Plasket (27), managed to vote within an hour of arriving due to the fact they had their four-month-old daughter with them in a pram.
For Brentwood Park resident Annette van Niekerk the wait was however much longer – she arrived at around 7:50am and finally left at around 11:20am.
All these residents were, however, upbeat and confident their efforts will make a difference.
“We have four children, aged three, seven, eight and four months, so it was very important for us to come and vote today,” Burev, a first-time voter, said.
One hundred per cent confident that she made her mark against the right political party’s name, Burev further commented that South Africa needs change.
“The current government is not working and the progress they’ve made over the past 25 years is not sufficient.
“We need confidence in our futures and that of our children, with education, jobs and equality for all being top priorities.
“We want change and equality for all now.”
Van Niekerk had considered ditching the long queue and going to vote elsewhere, “but I’m not a lucky person so I thought it best to just stay put”, she said.
“It was a very long wait but I made new friends in the queue; everyone had such a positive attitude and everyone was making the best of the situation.
“I’ve done my bit now and I pray it makes a difference.
“I don’t believe tomorrow we’ll wake up and everything is different, but small differences will mean a lot, like the government using taxpayers’ money more wisely.
“What I would like to see change in Benoni specifically is the high crime rate.
“But this is linked to irresponsible spending on the government’s part – if you don’t have a job you are going to have to steal to survive.
“The police need more resources to deal with crime in Benoni and we need to see police doing their jobs.”
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