Baptist Church Voting Station in Mandela Zone D and Palesa witnessed a good turnout of first time voters born post 1994.
It was at about 11:28 when Moipone Mohale (21), alongside her neighbor’s three year old boy, entered the voting station to have her ID document verified and proceeded to sit on the chairs in the church’s hall.
“I have always wanted to vote, but I did not qualify to vote in 2011 as I was only 16 years old. I want to see radical change happening in my ward. It’s been a while since our sisters have graduated with the required skills, but are unable to find jobs,” explained an enthusiastic former Sebalamakgolo learner.
Another first timer voter, Emely Makgatho (22), a student at Mopani South East TVET College Phalaborwa campus with her daughter sitting on her lap, also called on the government to prioritise job creation for the youth.
“Young people are in the majority in my ward and elsewhere, but our country and municipality’s economic outlook does not seem to be recognizing that we are the future and we need to be economically active citizens,” reiterated a delighted Makgatho.
Another young person in the same section, Vukosi Tyson Vuma, a learner at Vuxeni High School said: “I am not into politics but today when I woke up, I told myself that I need to come here and vote for the ANC. I am hoping that my vote will bring the much needed changes in my zone as we need a tar road like the ones at Foskor.”
Baptist Voting Station also recorded a good turnout of disabled people, youth, middle aged men and women and senior citizens. After the Baptist VS, our journalist proceeded to St Patrick Mathibela in Makhushane village at about 14:00. He observed over 20 voters updating their residential addresses a few after moments after casting their votes.
At about 15:00, as our journalist was leaving the station, he saw over 50 forms captured, which were completed by voters who had not updated their new residential addresses, by two IEC officials. Our journalist ended his elections observation and coverage at Frans Du Toit High School Voting Station in town, where all the competing political parties and an independent candidate had put up their stalls to monitor voters’ movements, as and when they came and left the voting station, as was the case at Baptist and St Patrick Mathibela.
