Proud to be a South African

On Wednesday night, when I finally cast my ballot after two hours in the snaking queue, during a cold night, I felt great to be a South African.

Well, unlike the voter who complained on social media for marking his three Xs at 5am, the morning after the day of the polls, I cast mine at 10pm – an hour after the official cut-off time.

And I am not complaining. It was of my making. I underestimated the time it would take, based on the experience of the last election, when it took me about 30 minutes to vote.

I arrived at my polling station at 10am, giving myself an hour in the queue. Was I wrong…

The school was teeming with people. The queue was mad, going around a block of classrooms, turning sharply towards the gate, where much of the space was taken up by cars.

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‘They made me cut the queue. I’m a pensioner,” said an elderly woman walking out with a smile. “But the line is long.”

I joined the queue behind a younger woman. “The line is not moving,” she said.

Like me, she was thinking about leaving and coming back later. I did, leaving her and tens of other voters arriving after me.

Arriving later after work, I had an hour before the 9pm cut-off time. News had it people were still in long queues, reminiscent of the 1994 polls. But hopefully not at my voting station. Was I wrong…

Voters of all ages, chatted excitedly like little girls. They didn’t seem to mind the biting cold. We are obviously not going to make the 9pm deadline. And I cannot afford not to vote. So I waited. The IEC had announced no-one would be turned back if they’re in the queue after 9pm.

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In about 15 minutes, more than 40 other voters had arrived. More kept trickling in behind me. The queue was moving, albeit at a snail’s pace.

By 10pm I was one of 10 politely welcomed into the classroom where we cast our votes. Things went smoothly. In less than 10 minutes, my ID card was checked, my name found and my left thumb nail marked, cast my three ballots and was out.

I felt proud. Once again South Africa was an example to many about how an election should be run. Apart from a couple of glitches here and there, there were no major disturbing incidents reported.

I doff my hat to the IEC.

As we await to usher in the new dispensation – after much horse trading and coalitions – we live in the hope it will make a difference in the lives of all South Africans.

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