To vote or not to vote? Skepticism and discontent surround voter registration

In what mirrored a tale of two families, Martha Afrika, accompanied by young daughter Lee-Ann, braved yesterday’s scorching sun to register to vote at Kempton Park’s Kreft Primary, determined to influence change in South Africa after next year’s polls.

Deviating from Afrika’s approach to change, cousins Beyonce Mkhwanazi and Lwandiswa Malambe preferred to stay away from the registration station, expressing disappointment at what they described as the “worsening state of the country under ANC rule”.

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Sceptical about South African politics, Mkhwanazi said: “Other parties coming into power may do the same as the ANC – no service delivery.

To vote or not to vote?

“What is the reasoning behind voting? While voting may not be a waste of time to many, I am just not interested.

“There are high levels of crime, rape, hijacking of vehicles and pollution where we stay in Kempton Park – with government not doing anything.”

Said Malambe: “I have not registered to vote. I don’t see any service delivery in the country and am unhappy with the worsening state of the country under ANC rule.”

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Not a first-time voter, Afrika said she registered in Kempton Park because in 2019, she cast her vote in the Free State.

“There are too many changes we need in our country and that is why I have come to register to ensure my eligibility to vote. I have got three children and their future is important.

“My husband is unemployed and I am the only breadwinner, making unemployment a big issue in next year’s elections.

“I am certainly unhappy about the status quo in South Africa where you do not know whether your child is safe at school, due to high levels of abuse.

“Drugs are another killer of young people in the country,” Afrika said.

Despite isolated disruptive incidents of protests in some parts of the country – leading to some voters being unable to register to vote in next year’s elections – the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has been upbeat about record numbers of people who turned up at registration stations over the weekend.

The commission said it is working with law enforcement officials to ensure that protests did not prevent people from getting to registration stations. Having registered over a million South Africans, the IEC described the registration weekend as having “started exceedingly well”.

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“By 8am, 91% of the voter registration stations had opened, with the remainder opening before 8.30am. At the close of day one of registration weekend, over a million registrations were recorded at our 23 296 voting stations.

“At 12.30pm yesterday, a total of 609 447 registration transactions had been recorded at voting stations,” said the IEC.

Online registrations

The commission also announced recording “an all-time milestone of over 100 000 online registrations”, with the figure having increased by 40 000. It said it was resolving some online registrations glitches, reflecting a “pending” message.

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“The ‘pending’ message is received by voters in instances where the ID (identity) image that they have uploaded cannotbe read or recognised by the system or where an image other than an ID has been uploaded,” the IEC said.

“We urge voters to take extra care and follow system prompts when uploading images of their ID.

“The commission applauds thousands of South Africans who have gone online and visited our registration stations to register, re-register or checked their details. We urge those that have not done so, to go out in their numbers to register.”

The SA Council of Churches (SACC) has joined several voices in calling for young people to register.

In his message to voters, SACC general secretary Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana urged the youth to exercise their voice, he described as “a significant statement, directing the future upon which you will build your life” – by registering to vote.

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Said Mpumlwana: “I understand the scepticism that surrounds politics and lack of trust. Your vote is more than a mark on the ballot box. It’s a declaration of a belief in a better South Africa that your vote will help shape the future.

“We may face challenges, but do not let us succumb to disillusionment.”

– brians@citizen.co.za