Apart from minor glitches and delays at some voting stations, the the fifth national and provincial elections went smoothly and without violence.
In KwaThema people started voting early.
Nocawe Vilakazi, presiding officer at the voting station at Job Maseko Primary School said the queue of voters started forming at 5am when she reported for duty.
This row was still long by 8am, but Phillemon Tshabalala remarked that this row’s length was nothing compared to 1994.
A long row of hundreds of voters waited for the voting station, in the tent, on the corner of September and Matlala Streets to open.
This was one of the few voting stations marred by controversy in the area, as the ballot boxes were apparently stored at a party agent’s house.
People who arrived at 5am had still not voted by 11am.
The queue for the elderly was also not moving.
In Tsakane, Mbali Msibi (19), a born-free who voted at the Extension Six voting station said she hoped there would be more bursary and study opportunities now that she has voted for the first time.
She also said because she voted, she felt more like a real South African.
Also at Extension Six, Oupa Nkosi was very sad because he could not vote because he lost his identity document in a burglary last year. He accompanied his friend, Phillip Mncwango to the voting station.
Alfred Mlambo was more excited about this time’s voting, as he hoped for an RDP house during the next year.
At the voting station at John Dube Village in Duduza Eric Nkosi said he was hoping his vote would bring a clinic, a school and the tarred roads to his village.
He was worried about the safety of children who had to travel far to school and had to walk through open veld, making them victims of criminals.
Many Kwatsadusa voters at the polling stations were optimistic about the future for the country.
Ronnie Zulu of Tsakane Extension 19 said because born-frees voted and showed interest in civic affairs, this country had a bright future.
Langaville Extension Eight’s first time voter, Vuyelwa Cindi (21) at first considered spoiling her ballot, but realised it was not a good idea.
