South Africans of colour were denied the right to vote for many years and endured harsh treatment and atrocities at the hands of the apartheid regime.
Because of the selflessness and dedication to the fight to ensure future generations would enjoy this right, all our countrymen can vote for the party of their choice today.
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Since the advent of democracy in South Africa, millions of South Africans have braved freezing weather conditions and lined up early in the morning to be the first to cast their votes.
A lot has changed since then. Service delivery protests, graft, crime and unemployment have spawned a generation who have become disillusioned with government promises of free education and jobs for all. Many of them have vowed not to vote in the sixth general elections to be held on May 8.
As a registered voter, I can clearly recall the blustery, windswept morning I made my way to the voting station in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg. The most vivid image which comes to mind is of an old woman – probably in her eighties – being escorted by her grandson.
After she had made her mark, the toothless grin she flashed and her bright, beaming face was etched indelibly in my mind. There was a tangible air of hope as the queue wound its way into the schoolyard and the promise of a better tomorrow beckoned in the distance.
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Things have taken a different day since those heady days, but I remain ever hopeful that South Africa’s fledgling democracy will be nurtured by the X I will be making on my ballot.
My voice will not be silenced or lost as I walk away, admiring my dye-stained thumb and declaring, “#IMadeMyMark”.
