‘Not even the cold could keep me away’: Tshwane voters brave chilly weather and long queues

It was a seemingly smooth day of voting in the capital city as residents turned out their numbers to cast their votes in the elections. 

Early on Wednesday morning, DA’s Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga voted at the Chinese School in Wingate Park in Tshwane with his camera-shy wife and son.

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“Sitting at home and being an armchair critic doesn’t help,” he said.

Msimanga said this election is historic because there is no telling how the votes are going to go.

“Not voting is not a sign of a protest but complacent and a sign of surrendering your power,” he said.

“We have long and hard and spoken to millions of people. I have done all I needed to do and could do, now it’s up to the people,” he said.

ALSO READ: ‘Smooth sailing’ in Nelson Mandela Bay, but some issues at other EC voting stations

Msimanga said this election is also special because it is the first time his son has been able to vote. Aobokwe Msimanga said he was excited to cast a vote. “My dad is very inspiring but I am my own person.”

In the queue, Susan van Niekerk said she decided to turn up early and get the voting over and done so that she could enjoy the public holiday. “I know many people say voting doesn’t change anything, but I had to do my part. Otherwise, I would not be able to sleep tonight,” she said.

Her neighbour who joined her in the queue, Lizaan Henning, said she is proudly South African and wouldn’t miss voting day for anything. “Not even the cold could keep me away,” she said.

ALSO READ: 100-year-old voter stays loyal to DA, hopes for improvement in SA

City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, who also cast his vote at a local preschool, said the elections had implications nationally, provincially and for local government.

“It won’t just determine the future of national and provincial government but also here in the City of Tshwane because we operate within the laws and policies determined at other spheres of government,” he explained.

Brink said a lot rests on the outcome of the elections.

“Many people think their votes don’t make a difference, which in an election can’t be more wrong. Finally, our constitutional design is being used, some competition to spice things up, bring in new ideas and hold leaders to account,” he said.

Jacqui Uys, a Ward 85 councillor in Equestria, said there were several issues reported including some stations where the voting machines were offline and they were forced to follow a manual process.

ALSO READ: ‘Every voter will be assisted’: IEC addresses issues experienced at voting stations