Snooze and you’ll lose, say political parties in final appeal to voters - IOL

That was the message from political parties at the IEC’s national results operation centre on Wednesday afternoon, with only a few hours left before voting stations close at 9pm.

From the ANC to the Freedom Front Plus, party representatives urged those who had not yet voted to get to their voting stations, whether on their way home from work or before the evening queues build up.

The IEC said earlier that more than 3.5m people had voted by 10am, about 12% of the 29.2 million registered voters.

The ANC’s national spin doctor Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party was seeing “positive signs”, and called on workers to vote as soon as they knock off.

“When they leave work, we urge our workers to go and vote, and of course to vote for the African National Congress so that we can continue on the trajectory of transformation that began in 1994,” she told IOL.

“There is still seven hours left to cast a vote to defend democracy.

“Some of them died for that struggle, for universal franchise.

“So there is still time for people to go out and vote, regardless of the parties that you are going to be voting for.”

Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC was comparing the IEC’s figures with data from its own operations centre and its structures in the provinces.

She also urged voters to look after themselves in the heat while they waited.

“We hope that our people are going to heed the call to take umbrellas, take water and keep hydrated, and to avoid standing for too long in the sun,” she said.

ActionSA's Matthew George said the party was encouraged by the long queues it had seen in suburbs and townships.

“I think the first indication that 98% of all voting stations opened as of 7 o’clock this morning is a good indication,” he said.

“We are very encouraged to see the long lines that are forming across the country, in suburban areas and township communities as well.

“We’ve invested all our time over the last more than a year and a half into our structures, into our activists, to be resourced, to be trained.

The Freedom Front Plus' Pieter de Necker said it was waiting for turnout figures broken down by voting district, so it could find out why some areas were staying away.

“At that stage, we had just over 10% of people that are registered voters that did vote,” the party’s CEO said of the IEC’s 9am figures.

“I think it’s important to go and find out why there is low voter turnout in certain areas.

“That’s often a sign that people are unhappy and they’ve lost trust in the system.

“They are exiting the democratic process.

“Go and vote and make sure that you get the services that you deserve.”

Nomsa Kamashibane Sibisi, of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, said voting had so far gone without serious problems.

“There have been glitches here and there, but nothing major,” the party’s representative said.

“Voting is not only about just voting, it changes people’s lives.”

The movement, led by Floyd Shivambu, said the energy at voting stations reminded it of the first democratic elections.

“We have observed that these elections, they symbolise the 1994 elections,” the party’s second deputy president said.

“We have municipalities where there are no roads, no toilets, no electricity.

“So our people should come out in numbers and vote for change.

“Vote for jobs, water and services.”

Voting stations close at 9pm, and voters still in the queue at closing time will be allowed to vote.