South Africa: In Search of a Polling Station Without a Long, Winding Queue in Mid-Afternoon Jozi

31 May 2024
African Arguments
analysis By Zukiswa Wanner

In Soweto, they voted early; by mid-afternoon, most polling stations were deserted. Not so elsewhere in southern Johannesburg where middle-class, middle-aged voters bet on empty polling stations in the late afternoon.

My son, a first-time voter, my host and friend, Thoko, and I get up and choose to take it easy this election day. Aware of how important many of our compatriots deem this election, we decide we're going to vote later in the day after what we assume will be an rush to vote. After a relaxed breakfast, my son and I get into an Uber to Soweto where he registered.

At Thabisang Primary School in Orlando West Extension, the mood was relaxed and the queues were non-existent so he got straight in only to discover his voting station was not Thabisang, but a pre-school further down the road. Both ANC and EFF which had tents at the voting station informed us there would be transport to take him to the correct voting station. We chose to walk instead. We wanted to see some of our neighbours. My son's cousin Thozama had already voted and she walked with us. On arrival at the pre-school as a voting station, like at Thabisang, he managed to go in and out within five minutes.

I gave him until 2pm to catch up with his cousins before we would proceed to my voting station at Turffontein Primary School, also in the south of Johannesburg. We would end up not leaving at that time. My cousin Themba came back from Thabisang Primary and said he couldn't vote.

"What do you mean you couldn't vote?"

Turns out the Independent Electoral Commission had him registered at Mulbarton Primary School in the South of Johannesburg. Themba is not a first-time voter. He first voted in the 2009 elections and has voted in subsequent local and national elections at Thabisang Primary School, right behind the family home where he stays with his sister and my nieces. Deciding there must be some mistake, I suggest that we both go back to Thabisang and see whether this can be rectified.

On arrival, we are sent to an IEC official who takes Themba's ID, goes to check in the system and again declares that she is still coming up with him being registered at Mulbarton Primary School, a distance of about 20 kilometres. The IEC official, an older woman we know well who stays in the same street, suggests that we go to the IEC offices in Meadowlands and try to get it sorted out. I tell my nieces to inform my son that we will only likely return at 3.30pm so he can relax some more.

It's the same at the IEC offices in Meadowlands. Turns out, his voting station was changed in 2016. Then the same voting station was confirmed for his ID in 2022. He has managed to always vote at Thabisang Primary because, until this year, one could vote at any voting station in the same province for national elections. And if out of province, one could vote only for national elections. The new rule however has each voter strictly required to cast their ballots where they are registered. The only odd story to this disenfranchisement is that he voted in the same district for local elections in 2021. I suggest to him that he take an Uber to Mulbarton but he is now gatvol and thanks me for trying.

I then take an Uber and depart with my son to my own voting station.

It appears that I was not the only voter who thought voting later in the day would be a good idea. When I get to Turffontein Primary School, the queue is long and I only finally get to exercise my democratic right two and a half hours after first joining the queue. On arrival home, Thoko is not there. She arrives shortly after we have arrived and reports lengthy queues at her voting station in the east of Johannesburg with lines going around the mall. Another friend, Nduduzo who voted in Sandton in the northern part of Johannesburg also informs me that he was in line for an hour and a half and he arrived at his voting station a little after three o'clock in the afternoon.

In spite of the long queues, everyone I talk to tells me that the mood has been peaceful at their voting stations with some people coming to vote prepared for a long wait with camping chairs.

And now, with many of us, apart from Themba and those who had his misfortune having voted, we wait to see what the future holds.

Zukiswa Wanner is an award-winning South African journalist, novelist and editor.

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