May 8 dawned bright and a little crisp as voting stations opened at 7am for the National and Provincial Elections.

This is the sixth democratic election in South Africa since 1994 and local voters were eager to make their mark.

Polling stations in Estcourt saw slow traffic in the morning, but as noon approached, the number of voters picked up.

There was a jovial atmosphere at the voting stations, inside and out, with friends stopping to talk and socialise after they had cast their vote.

Father Madoda Khumalo, who voted at the Estcourt Town Hall, was glad to be part of the election process and proudly showed off his marked thumb and “old, trusty” identity document minutes after voting.

At Estcourt High School, first-time voter Brileigh Dicks described the experience as “exciting”.

Sister Beata and Sister Yvonne from St John’s Church were all smiles ahead of casting their vote at the Estcourt Town Hall, proud to be part of this historic moment.

Bridgette Bhengu said her voting experience was good. When asked what she was hoping to see after the election, Ms Bhengu said, “Definitely change. I think that a little bit of competition will definitely boost the country, because when a person is relaxed, they become redundant and nothing changes, ever.”

Brothers Patrick and Steven Shaw described the voting process as “smooth”. They hope that corruption in government will be rooted out.

Meena Prithipal, who voted at Forderville Hall, was happy with the voting process, describing officials as friendly. “I am hoping for the best,” said Mrs Prithipal.

On a slightly different note, the Sriram family said they would be voting for justice; this after their brother was stabbed to death in Estcourt last month.

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