EAGER Hibiscus Coast voters were up and ready to cast their votes early on election day, it seems.
At Uvongo, a long queue had formed by 6am, an hour before voting stations opened, and many of the busier Hibiscus Coast voting stations experienced a good early morning turnout. Brisk voting continued for quite a while after opening time, then slowed to a steady stream.
Although the regional Independent Electoral Commission was unable to provide the South Coast Herald with any information before we went to print yesterday (Wednesday), we received no reports of any problems from any of the more than 100 Hibiscus Coast voting stations. Most of the stations appeared to have opened on time, at 7am, and electoral officers were looking forward to a long, busy day as voting was scheduled to continue until 9pm.
Main stations like Ramsgate Magistrate’s Court, Izotsha Primary School, Shelly Beach Civic Offices, Port Shepstone Secondary, Umtentweni Town Hall, Hibberdene Town Hall, Southport Library, Marburg Secondary, Uvongo Town Hall, Suid-Natal Primary, Gamalake College and Margate Middle School were all fairly busy when Herald reporters visited them yesterday.
At some stations fairly long queues had formed but voting was proceeding smoothly and the voters were not having to queue for too long.
In Ezinqoleni , previously a political hot spot, there was a large police presence at voting stations and no incidents were reported.
“We paid particular attention to Ezinqoleni and even had extra police support there,” said police spokesman Captain Gerald Mfeka. Voter turnout in this area had been good and everything had been under control there, he added.
For some voters, there was a feeling of nostalgia as they made their mark, 20 years after South Africa’s first democratic elections. Gone were the long, long queues, the camaraderie and the euphoria that marked those distant elections but at most stations the goodwill and some of the carnival atmosphere remained.
Some voters making their mark for the very first time were not even born when South Africa experienced the miracle of a peaceful transitional and democratic election 20 years ago. Election 2014 might not be as dramatic an event but the fact that it is the first election to give so-called ‘born frees’ a say in the future of their country makes it very important from a historical point of view.
