{"id":967488,"date":"2024-05-29T19:57:53","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T19:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/dm-simulator-v2\/?p=967488"},"modified":"2024-05-29T19:57:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T19:57:53","slug":"western-cape-voters-flock-to-the-polls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elections.sabc.co.za\/elections2024\/western-cape-voters-flock-to-the-polls\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Cape voters flock to the polls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It was a day with all hands on deck as Western Cape voters flocked to the polls. Some rumbles, fumbles, and grumbles. But overall, it was a good day for democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to start with a quote by Madiba: \u201cTo be free is not merely to cast off one\u2019s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others,\u201d says IEC Western Cape\u2019s Michael Hendrickse.<\/p>\n

In the Western Cape, voting mostly began at sunrise. Leaders of political parties and independent candidates cast their votes across the province. They all emphasized the imperatives of voting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t vote today, this country is going to go through the most difficult time in our democracy,\u201d says Zackie Achmat, Independent Candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appeal to all South Africans to exercise your democratic right that many died for, many sacrificed for,\u201d says Naledi Pandor from ANC.<\/p>\n

There were some glitches at voting stations, but the IEC assured South Africans still queuing to vote by 9 pm that they would be assisted.<\/p>\n

Some elderly people say they\u2019ve been voting since the first democratic elections in 1994. For them, the 2024 elections are critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so excited to see all these people and I feel there\u2019s going to be a change in this South Africa,\u201d a voter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I like to speak of something that\u2019s wrong, then I want to speak and I want to talk about it but if I am not voting, I don\u2019t have the right to speak,\u201d another voter said.<\/p>\n

Many voters are young people under the age of 35 and some say they are voting for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore, I didn\u2019t have hope because I saw similarities in the parties that I saw; so, I didn\u2019t have hope before, but now I must give a chance to a new party,\u201d another voter said.<\/p>\n

Over the past three decades, South Africa\u2019s constitutional democracy has faced enormous challenges, with many of its citizens grappling with rising poverty levels, unemployment, gender-based violence, corruption & crime, both in urban and rural areas.<\/p>\n

And although the socio-economic climate remains cloudy for millions of South Africans, many remain hopeful that the sun will continue to shine on the country\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n