Residents of AbaQulusi Local Municipality left their mark at different voting stations with the hope of a better future. Long queues were seen from early in the morning at voting stations on Wednesday.
Some residents shared that they wanted to vote quickly in the morning and then go home to have the rest of the day to themselves. Others had to join the long queues during the day, and night, as they had to report to work first.
Some residents were disappointed and frustrated on being told that they were not in the system, as they were not registered. One individual told a Vryheid Herald journalist that, “I could not vote today because I was told I am registered in Newcastle. How do they expect me to travel to Newcastle? I did not plan to travel because I thought I was going to be able to vote here in Vryheid; this is unfair.” The results were officially declared on Sunday, showing the MK Party in AbaQulusi Local Municipality in the lead with 42% of the votes, followed by the IFP with just over 32%. The ANC received 13% of the votes, the DA 6%, and EFF only 2%.
Even though the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) stated that the elections were ‘free and fair’, some residents begged to differ because of Section 24A, which stated that ‘a voter may vote outside of the voting district where registered on voting day, but needs to notify the Electoral Commission before voting day during the period specified in the Election Timetable. That period for the 2024 elections is March 15, 2024, to May 17, 2024’.
Residents said they completed the Section24A form online, but they were not registered and could not exercise their right to vote in the 2024 elections.
The Vryheid Community Policing Forum also took an initiative to patrol at different voting stations. The visibility of the CPF played a major role as they assisted the police officers to prevent crime when residents were casting their votes, there were no reported cases at the Vryheid voting stations. Vryheid SAPS Station Commander Colonel Potgieter, thanked everybody who assisted in making the 2024 elections in Vryheid peaceful and a success.
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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.
