Younger residents might find Roodepoort’s preparation and reaction for the infamous 1994 national elections interesting, but for those who have been living in Roodepoort for 20 years or more this might be nothing new.
As announced in the record edition of 22 April 1994, “the countdown to South Africa’s [first] democratic election has begun”. Rumours and fear had the whole of Roodepoort up in arms, literally. One article stated that more weapons have been sold pre-elections than at any other given time. Other headlines in the special pre-election edition of the newspaper included:
• Polisie gereed vir enige voorvalle
• Hospitals are geared up
• Maatreëls getref by ouetehuise
• Nooddienste kry meer personeel
• There will be enough food
To reassure everyone, the record published articles with useful information about the upcoming elections. It was announced that there were nine new provinces. Because of the new demarcations, every voter had to start voting twice – one provincial vote and one national vote. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Residents were answered about where to vote with a list of voting stations. Alongside it was an example of the then-new voting ballot. In his column Stote en Stampe, Steven van der Merwe commented on the entire affair, saying, “ons is besig om onsself deeglik op hol te jaag“.
On the front page of the 29 April 1994 edition, then Roodepoort mayor and councillor Willie van der Schyf could be seen standing near the new South African flag in all its glory. He held a prayer service at the Cecil Payne Stadium in Maraisburg prior to the big elections, which had been attended by people of all races and languages. Although some residents still were uneasy about the big changes, the pages of the newspaper boasted beautiful photos and stories of those who voted for the first time, including an elderly woman from Soweto. Some complained about the queues that were so long with residents reportedly having stood in queues for more than five hours in Horizon View. Panic subsided and other front page stories followed. In comparison, queues during the recent Election Day cannot be complained about.
