Current ward councillors around the Joburg area have commented on the seemingly low voter turnout for this year’s Local Government Elections.
With only two hours to go until voting stations close, a number of councillors have told Randburg Sun that the turnout seems to be extremely low, but some were still hopeful of a last minute spike in numbers.
Ward 134’s Wendy Alexander said that turnout had been low in her ward, while Nicole van Dyk from ward 99 said that she was sadly, not happy about the turnout. She said that her ward seemed a bit higher than the national average, and encouraged voters to come out as this was the only time they had a real say in the outcome. “When our voters give up their chance to vote, the country can fall to its knees,” she said.
Ralf Bitkau, candidate councillor for ward 101 said that the turnout had been much lower than he had hoped for, while ward 104’s Mike Wood said that he was a little concerned at the low turnout. Particularly concerning for Wood was the low number of young voters that came out.
Some councillors though were hopeful about a last minute surge in numbers. David Potter seemed optimistic, saying that there had been a late rush to vote, while Dalu Cele said that it was too early to comment. “At this stage we are still monitoring the stats. It is difficult to say at this stage as there may still be a last minute rush,” he said.
Voting stations close at 21:00 tonight.
