Long queues, a few technical glitches and inked thumbs were the order of the day in Cape Town as millions of people stood in line for hours on Wednesday to cast their votes. There were reports of thousands of residents still waiting in queues past the 9pm closing time.
Many South Africans were excited to make their mark. But long, slow-moving lines meant delays and waits of up to four hours for some.
This election was historic for several reasons, one being that it was the first time independent candidates could run. Longtime activist Zackie Achmat was the only independent candidate on the Western Cape regional ballot.
He stood in line with hundreds of other eager voters at Jan van Riebeeck Primary School at 7am. After casting his vote, he joked: “Do you know how hard it is to vote for oneself?” He said this year’s election was a significant milestone.
“I think this election is very important for the country. It’s important to those who want to make the country better. Our duty today is to go out. Let’s get out there and do our job and vote,” he said.
Achmat and his team went through a frightening experience while campaigning the day before the election: they were nearly hijacked in Philippi. No-one was hurt, but a bullet was lodged in the car.
“It’s been a difficult time; the fortunate thing is no-one got hurt. This is what happens in Philippi hourly to people who live there. We have to build neighbourhood watches ... our job is to build our communities,” Achmat said.
Just up the road at Jan van Riebeeck High School, people started lining up to vote from about 6am. Soso Balroj was selling coffee to voters at the entrance of the school.
Originally from Durban, he said he has seen how the DA runs Cape Town and would vote for it for this reason. “I think that’s where my vote is going to. Coffee, community and culture all go together and on a day like this, this is a time when a community comes together,” he said.
Queues at the school were long. Some waited for more than three hours to vote. Some residents left and said they would return later when there were fewer people.
One of the voters at the voting station was Western Cape premier Alan Winde. He said it was a beautiful day for democracy. He said the DA has built a track record for the past five years.
“There’s been a lot more interest [in the election] from young people. I think it’s right, young people must be concerned. We have the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. For a young person, policies must make a difference. The policies at the moment are not enabling them to get a job. There’s no reason this country cannot be an engine room for jobs,” he said.
There’s been a lot more interest [in the election] from young people. I think it’s right, young people must be concerned
— Alan Winde
Down the road in Salt River, a working-class neighbourhood in the southern suburbs, there were queues of at least three hours. Imam Rashied Omar said it is a wonderful privilege to be able to vote.
“It gives us a lot of encouragement and hope for the future. Democracy is not only about casting one’s vote — though it’s very important — [it’s also] how we become active citizens and holding those who are elected today accountable. It would be wonderful if [more] people joined their local organisations,” he said.
“Locally [there is] the issue of gentrification. Salt River is very close to the city bowl and unfortunately, our local councillors are not really taking into account the people’s feelings. It’s quite disappointing the way that the city has been dealing with marginalised, working-class communities,” Omar said.
In Athlone, Gameda Samsodien said she waited in line for about 15 minutes to vote. She said the process was smooth but she was concerned that there was not enough seating for elderly people.
“We get so many promises from different parties and I feel like they don’t deliver. It’s important to put down your vote.”
The biggest problem in her community is crime, she said. “We’ve heard gunshots for the past week. Gangsterism is rife. Even at some robots they smash and grab. Crime is terrible. In the past years, people have been killed by stray bullets. We need to take care of our children. We can’t let our children play in the parks on their own because it’s not safe.”
Another Athlone voter, Godfrey Trimm, agreed that crime is an issue that needs to be tackled. “Get people involved to make sure that the communities start identifying criminals. That is a problem. They are scared to come forward because you get threatened. If there’s a strong police presence in place we won’t have that problem,” he said.
In Langa, the Western Cape’s oldest township, a voting station at the indoor sports complex was quiet. By lunchtime, about 300 people had voted out of the more than 1,000 registered.
Outside, a few children were taking advantage of the public holiday and playing soccer while music blasted from political party stands. A resident, who identified himself only as Andile, said unemployment is one of the big issues for the community.
“The roads are not so good. The housing we are living in is terrible. I want to have a voice. People on the Cape Flats are living under terrible conditions. There are police but the crime is too much,” he says.
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