Thousands of voters flocked to voting stations in Roodepoort to register to vote or update their details on the voters’ roll last weekend, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
While a few voters would’ve made use of the online system to simply update their address, the majority of residents who wish to vote this year would have had to make their way to their nearest voting station in their ward, be it to register for the first time or to re-register. Overall, the 14 voting stations across northern Roodepoort weren’t overly busy, but the Ward 97 stations were the busier few of them.
Nationwide, the number of registered voters has increased by more than half a million registered voters from those registered in 2014; however, there are still 11,2 million unregistered voters, of which the majority fall within the 18–34 age category. While visiting a few stations on Saturday, the Northsider asked a handful of residents how they felt about the upcoming general elections, and here’s what they had to say:
Ian Loubser
“We must stay positive despite all the negativity that surrounds us. We live in a democracy, and I feel that it’s a huge benefit to be able to carry out our democratic right to vote every five years.”
Charles and Bev Anderson
“We are hoping for change, so that we can finally cut out corruption for once and for all. The amount of corruption that has come to light in recent years has frightened a lot of people, and we think this has made people very uncomfortable with the leading party.”
Craig Pringle
“I’m feeling a bit in-between about the elections, but I am still hopeful for a turn for the better. A lot of things have happened around the presidency over the last 10 year, and I’m hoping people see the light and make the right choice.”
Erick Bouwmeester
“I’m extremely positive that the elections will result in the right party coming into power. We live in such a beautiful country with so much to offer, and hopefully the elections will eventually result in us becoming that country.”
Fulufhelo and Nduvho Mukhavhuli
“We’re always hopeful about the future. As young people, our choice lies in our hands, and we as a country have come a long way, but we still have such long way to go. We believe that the next generation could lead us better.”
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