Get your name onto the voters’ roll now
While no government election will ever match the exhilaration of that of 1994, the announcement of the date (27 October) for district and municipal elections has been welcomed with great anticipation.
The first priority is to register, if you are a first time voter; or to check that you are still registered in the correct ward or voting constituency.
It’s a rare opportunity to create change and influence the future.
By choosing not to exercise your democratic right to vote, you are by default allowing others to decide your future for you.
Deciding not to vote also removes your right to complain about who is elected and how they govern.
South Africa’s election system is extremely well managed by the Independent Electoral Commission.
This includes a trustworthy preparation and checking of the voters’ roll, as well as proper arrangement and planning of voting stations and deployment of adequately trained personnel to man these locations.
Our country has a great reputation for its credible democratic elections and never once, since 1994, has any election been queried as to the validity of the final result.
The ‘free and fair’ verdict has largely been accepted without challenge.
Where this year’s election will differ is the milieu in which it takes place, namely, in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Should any more waves of infection hit the country, this will call for major logistical invention in the light of long queues of voters.
It is also going to happen at a time when the country is embroiled in unprecedented service delivery protests – which could either be reflecting genuine anger or politicallymotivated shenanigans.
It will also be held in a context of in-fighting and party factionalism, and even while big names in the political arena are the subject of courts of law and commissions of enquiry.
This could well see unrest at polling stations – something that has not afflicted previous elections.
We reiterate: the point of elections is not about giving power; it is about entrusting people with the job of meeting the needs of voters, rather than the desires of politicians.
Elections are about us getting those things done and provided for, that are important to us.
So, if you are a student, farmer, manufacturer, elderly person, civil servant, grant recipient, parent, sportsperson, vendor or whatever: make sure you are registered and that you exercise your right to vote for those who will best represent your own self-interests.