Register to have your say
Lungani Zungu found out how the beginning of the voter registration weekend went in KZN
ALTHOUGH registration for the local government election got off to a slow start yesterday, the Independent Electoral Commission said it was pleased with the turnout.
Chairman in KwaZuluNatal Mawethu Mosery said although he could not provide exact figures as registration was still ongoing, he was pleased with the number of people who registered.
The election is expected to take place in August.
Mosery said the lack of service delivery in some areas was a contributing factor to the low turnout. But he was confident it would overcome the challenges which hampered the process.
“We are trying our best to be accessible and to be closer to people but we must admit we have some serious challenges in performing our tasks,” he said.
Mosery said he expected the number of first-time voters to grow in this year’s elections compared with 2011.
Durban resident, Felicity Danny, will be among those who will be making their mark for the first time. Danny, 40, has never voted. This year she decided to register because she wanted to have a say in the running of the country. She was among the first people to register at the City Hall station.
Another first-time voter, Avandra Vandayar, 18, a Grade 12 pupil from Reservoir Hills, said it was a “nice” experience for him, although he hadn’t yet decided who to vote for.
Waseen Kalick, 18, said: “I’m over the moon. I can’t wait for the elections to happen. It’s just unbelievable.”
He registered at Dr AD Lazurus Secondary School in Reservoir Hills.
President Jacob Zuma was also among the people who checked their registration at Ntolwane Primary School in KwaNxamalala in Nkandla yesterday.
Chairman of the ANC in KZN, Sihle Zikalala, kicked off his voter registration campaign in Newlands East where he was accompanied by ANC NEC member and Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande.
Zikalala urged residents to vote so they could choose the party they wanted to govern.
“This is your right and you must practise it. Today all of you must register to vote so that you become role players in the democratic system of our country,” he said.
Zwakele Mncwango, DA caucus leader of eThekwini Municipality, criss-crossed the province visiting registration stations. He said the IEC had to do something to persuade people to register to vote.
“People have been discouraged… I don’t know why, but something has to be done,” he said outside Pitlochry Senior Primary School in Westville where he registered to vote.
Mncwango, however, commended political parties for tolerating each other. “There’s peace and I think we should highlight the fact that we have matured politically,” he said.
Voter registration continues today.