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Remember the 2010 soccer world cup’s “Feel it, it is here” slogan? We are in a similar space right now because indeed, we are feeling the elections fever.

Red berets, kisses, big pots, security upgrades, series of court cases, protests and so on, all to win the attention of voters. All streets are colour blocked with posters and flyers. Twitter and Facebook have become ideological battlefields.
As all official campaigning ends this Sunday, political parties are now making their final rounds, reminding their electorate that they need them. What they did not do thus far, I doubt they will be able to do now.

As for me, I will be casting my vote on the fifth. I have made a resolution to show my vibrancy as a young person by running all the way to my voting station.
I may not be a political analyst, but I must say this has been an interesting and tough campaign.
As for the red beret, that was my highlight for this year’s election campaign. Some say they wore it to confuse their enemy while others wore it simply because they believe red is a colour that attracts attention, and both the affected parties claimed to have been the initiators of this beret.

Well, the colour does not matter to the voter – what matters is the content of the manifesto.
If there is one thing I noted during these elections, it was the level of humility displayed.
Ministers and other office bearers forgot who they were and went down to the people. We saw the likes of Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, a mining magnate who many thought was well off, humble and went where his organisation sent him.

In this election, he was seen going to people at grass-roots level from the deepest rural areas to the most posh suburbs. We saw robust ‘venomist’ Mr Julius Malema apologising to MaMbeki and others. We have seen DA’s Helen Zille wear traditional attire stirring big pots of pap somewhere in the rural areas.
Indeed when people forgot how they came into office, this is the time they remembered that we all paid for our sins. It is not nice to beg. Question is, six months down the line, will they remember how hard they worked for the votes?
Most parties are now wrapping up their campaigns. As they do this, they must remind all voters that the last thing South Africans need is spoilt ballot papers. It should be unconstitutional and illegal to utter such statements in the country where democracy is still in its late childhood and needs the most guidance and support.
What do you think of the campaign programmes? Are you ready to cast your vote next week Wednesday? Speak to us @_mpnews or @hlengimganu.