Democracy in action
Statement from Neil Diamond, Ekurhuleni ANC Suburban Task Team head:
Election day was filed with the euphoria of democracy in action.
Elections can change a lot of things and I witnessed how the act of voting crated a vibe of mutual respect and social cohesion like never before.
It must be sign of our social maturity when people with clearly different political views can stand in a line and openly share their views without confrontation while waiting to vote.
People from all walks of life stood patiently for hours to exercise their democratic right to elect the leaders that will govern our country for the next five years.
I recalled the words of Nelson Mandela in the early 90’s about his vision where one day South Africans “ Are bound together by their common destiny, where there will be neither White nor Black, but just South Africans, free and proud.”
On May 7, I saw the epitome of Nelson Mandela’s vision at a voting station, where people were bound together by their common destiny.
We have long bridged the gap as a nation to stand united in our diversity and honor our democracy.
It is almost incomprehensible that we had such deeply rooted divisions in our past looking at the demographics in the line running up to the voting station.
It reflected a community representing all groups in our country, integrated in a cohesive suburban environment.
Gauteng has become a role model for integration, by building new communities that can take South Africa forward.
The ANC suburban Task Team would like to thank all voters for their participation in a peaceful election process.
