Will their IDs arrive in time to vote?
Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren
At present some residents of Willowmore, Rietbron and the Baviaanskloof are unsure whether they will have the opportunity to vote in the upcoming general elections.
This, because they are still waiting for the Department of Home Affairs to deliver their identity documents (IDs) as previously promised and residents fear that they may not be able to register as voters in time.
According to a resident, the department visited Willowmore on 1 February for residents to collect their IDs, but only arrived at 10:30. "Willowmore had load shedding from 11:00 until 13:00 and Graaff-Reinet from 13:00 until 15:00. Then, after the load shedding, it took more than an hour for them to get online,” says the resident. “By 17:00 when the next load shedding started they had a generator going, but they were unable to stay online. Due to all of this, several people did not receive their IDs. The department undertook to conduct a followup visit to Willowmore, Rietbron and the
Baviaanskloof within the next two weeks to deliver all the IDs. Unfortunately, this never happened.”
Councillor Ewald Loock believes that this neglect infringes on underprivileged citizens' right to vote. According to him, the only way in which the poor can express their needs is by casting a vote and, by not delivering the IDs, government is failing to make democracy possible for those who do not have the financial means to collect their IDs in Graaff-Reinet. Loock took the matter up with Nosithembile Possa, manager of the Graaff-Reinet department’s office, and says he was told that the department is waiting for a truck from the metro to enable them to conduct the follow-up visit. Loock says he is doubtful that this truck will arrive before the due date for registration, which will probably be early next week. Should this be the case, those without IDs will not be allowed to vote.
Graaff-Reinet Advertiser submitted a request for comment to the Department of Home Affairs but at the time of going to press no response has been received.
Pres Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday that the election will take place on 29 May.
Citizens who missed the opportunity to apply for voter registration or update their registration details still have the opportunity to do so online by following this link: https://registertovote. elections.org.za/voter-online-registration/ voter-identit
Unfortunately, there will not be another registration weekend for people to register in person, but those who are experiencing difficulty with online registration should contact any of the councillors for assistance.