Responsible citizens and politically minded individuals waited patiently for their turn to make their mark, November 1.
Some queued from as early as 06:00 and waited for several hours while others chose the late afternoon to put their ‘X’ next to their preferred candidates. Spirits were generally high, with some voters solemnly going about their duty and others striking up socially distanced conversations about the state of their suburb.
It was not all smooth sailing as the day had a spluttered start. Party agents outside voting stations at Panorama Primary School and Klein Helderkruin Retirement Village described how voting began late at their stations due to faulty barcode scanners. While voters lined up along Albert Street were only inconvenienced by roughly 15 minutes, the many elderly persons at the Ward 83 station waited over an hour for the morning queue to begin moving.
By the mid-morning, many of the snags had been overcome and bar occasional delays with scanners, voters were progressing through the station’s doors with rapid regularity. Presiding officer of the Ward 89 voting station at Panorama Primary, Flora Mokwebo, said “Everything is running smoothly now. We expect a busy day and we hope everyone gets out to vote.”
The day did not end without drama, as one party agent outside a Ward 89 voting station at Constantia Kloof Primary School claimed several newly registered voters from the mid-September voter registration weekend were either not on the roll or not captured. Additionally, a voting station in Discovery was without electricity, leaving the process to conclude in the dark while awaiting the dispatching of a generator.
The wait for the votes to be counted may draw on but in the coming days, all will be revealed and we will know if the electioneering proved fruitful. Here is what a few residents thought of the voting process:
Ward 89 residents, Darrel and Sheila Pile, who voted at Panorama Primary School said, “It is our responsibility to vote to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. I think this is a pivotal time in our history. We have always voted, I don’t think we have missed any of the elections.”
Boitshepo Nkoto said, “We must vote for change. Young people are leaving school with a matric and going to university, but when they finish there are no jobs. Young people have to be active and involved.”
Paulos Mofokeng said, “I vote so that I can have a better future. The young people must vote so that they can have a say in their future.”
Marisca Clarke and Shannon Parkes said, “If you want to have a brighter tomorrow you have to play an active role. You must not be afraid to stand up and exercise your rights. Change starts with us.”
Ward 89 voter, Ian Hutchisen said, “I vote because it is our duty even though we don’t know how much difference it will make. We have to do our part and hope for the best.”
Ward 70 voter, Donavon Stewart said, “One vote can make a change. I have been voting since the so-called liberation, and I say so-called liberation because we are controlled by party politics.”
