As the final Voters registration came to a close residents trickled into to the Roosevelt Primary School as well as the Roosevelt Bowling Club.
Ward 88 Councillor Pat Richard said that there was a steady flow of residents at her registration school. She reported that by noon on 9 March there were around 180 residents who came out to register. “Residents must know that it is very important to register and update their details on the IEC voter’s-roll system, registering is just the first step and now we are heading towards the actual voting which will happen in August this year,” Richards said.
She added that if residents don’t vote then they cannot complain about the lack of service delivery.
She used the ongoing Pikitup strike as an example of why residents should ensure that they are on the IEC’s voter’s roll so that they could effectively vote for better service and change.
Sean Smith from Freedom Front said that he found the new rule of residents proving their address a bit unnecessary. “It’s been a bit slow but residents have been coming in at a steady pace to register and update their details,” he said. He pointed out that he hoped that when residents voted they voted for change as their vote was their voice.
A few residents were upset at having their voter station changed, citing that they had been voting at the Roosevelt Primary School for over twenty years and now they had to go somewhere different.
Rachel Church said that she had come to ensure that her registration details were up to date as she looked forward to voting in August. “I do not understand why we need to prove our address as this is a hassle as I have been voting at the same place for a while now,” she said.
Mosimaneotsile Tekedimo from the DA at the Roosevelt Bowling Club said that they had had a quiet morning with only 17 residents registering by noon.
“Residents must ensure that they have registered if they want to vote,” he said.
