Potchefstroom and the rest of the country rushed to the polls on Wednesday morning to exercise their democratic right by voting in the sixth democratic elections.
Both regular and first-time voters queued across 114 voting stations in J.B. Marks.
A first-time voter, Resego Moagi, a BCom Economics and International Trade student at NWU says it feels weird to be a first-time voter. “With all the commotion going to in South African politics, it is difficult to decide which party to vote for. There are also lots of influences from every corner, that is why the youth have voter apathy,” she said. Her friend, also a first-time voter, Lesedi Leotwane says she has been waiting for this opportunity to cast her vote. “Now that it is here, I’m excited,” she smiled.
According to Kate Bapela, the IEC spokesperson, the 2019 elections scenes are reminiscent of 1994, with long queues of voters waiting patiently to vote at voting stations throughout the country.

She admitted that there were some hiccups here and there but they were resolved. “Reports from election operations around the country showed that almost all voting stations opened on time and, by 11:00 today, large numbers of voters had already cast their ballots.
“As always, some challenges have been reported, including instances where election staff failed to report for duty on time and where the material was delivered late. These had all been resolved by 09:00.
“The Electoral Commission wishes to thank voters who responded to the call to vote. The final pronouncement of the election results will take place on Saturday, 11 May. Everyone can check the IEC website (www.elections.org.za) for the results.

See more Photos of Election day in this week’s edition of the Potchefstroom Herald