By Khanyisa Khenese, Luvuyo Mjekula and Nothando Tshuma
The moment South Africans had been waiting for finally arrived on Monday, 27 May, with thousands casting special votes across the country.
In Makhanda, it was no different, as voting stations opened at 9am on Monday and again on Tuesday, 28 May, for special voters.
Officials of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) were also hard at work conducting home visits across Makhanda.
For the 2024 election, South Africa registered 1 million more voters, and 1.7 million people were approved for special votes. Moreover, 653,000 of the special votes are done by home visits, while over 1 million special voters cast their ballots at voting stations.
Special voting allows a registered voter who cannot vote at their voting station to apply to vote on election week or day. It also enables IEC staff to go to those who cannot travel to their voting station due to being physically infirm, disabled, or pregnant.
Both on Monday and Tuesday, the special voting process in Makhanda went on without any major challenges, other than a few residents who were turned away from voting stations because they had not applied for special voting.
At Noluthando Hall Voting Station, an elderly Phumlani Location resident, TG Marawu, was not allowed to cast a special vote on Monday because his name was not on the official list. He had not registered for special voting. He confirmed to Grocott’s Mail that he had not registered for a special vote and was simply taking a chance.
He would, however, return to vote on Wednesday, he said as he left the hall.
Marawu took time to express his unhappiness with the elections and politics in general. He said: “I am voting because it is a customary thing to do, otherwise it is just a waste of time. Things have not changed for 30 years now; they are still the same. The ANC promised us change, but nothing has changed, we are still staying in the houses white people built for us. The sewage pipes installed in front of our houses are broken, causing sewage to spill in front of our yards and homes.”
At many voting stations in Makhanda, there wasn’t much activity on Monday and Tuesday as special voting was mainly conducted through home visits.
