QWAQWA — While some young people stayed away from the polls, 28-year-old Limpho Sekhobo stood in the queue on Wednesday, 4 November, with a clear message: voting is not optional.
“It’s important that we vote and choose, regardless of which political party we choose, but that we exercise that right because a lot of black South Africans fought for this country and for us to be liberated,” she said.
“I feel like it’s a selfish decision not to vote.”
Sekhobo said local government elections matter most because they decide who must answer for service delivery in your street, your ward, your town.
“It’s very important, especially with the local municipality, so that next time, when you are not happy with something, you can voice your concerns because you voted. I’m exercising my right to vote because it would be irresponsible not to.”
Not all young voters made it.
Matric learners from Grade 12A Commerce at Selelekela Secondary School — Refilwe Lefuthane and Kamohelo Mohala — said they missed the chance to vote because they had not registered in time.
“We focused so much on our studies that we were not acutely aware that voting was today, and we realised that we had to register before we could vote,” they said.
Their focus is now on their final exams, with the class determined to achieve a 100% pass rate. But they made a promise: Next time, they will register. Next time, they will vote.
