Election Day has come and gone, and all will be going back
to ‘normal’ soon. All will be going back to citizens hoping and waiting for
things to get better while politicians continue with their internal party
battles and court cases.
Election Day was just another day of work in my world.
Having been declared a national holiday, it only presented an opportunity for
me to continue work on my programming assignment without worrying about class.
I was still in bed when she got back home; having had been too lazy to get up
to work on the assignment. A few minutes later, I was sitting on one of the
bean-bags in her room, glad in pyjama pants and a t-shirt, eager to hear all
about her experience. My housemate, Robin*, had just cast her very first vote
as a South African citizen. She and South Africa’s ‘born free’ generation (who
I believe are yet to be born) had just cast a vote for the very first time.
That morning, she had left the house unsure of her vote only to have her vote
decided by the polling station.
Robin, a third year Fine Art student, is a very well
informed young person. Prior to the elections, she had done extensive research
on the different parties with a presence in the Western Cape and she
had eventually decided to focus her research on the ANC (African National
Congress), DA (Democratic Alliance) and AGANG SA. We usually convene in the
kitchen to discuss such matters, so on one evening we convened by the kitchen
sink and she shared the findings of her research. Varsity, the campus
newspaper at UCT (University of Cape Town) had also done a feature on the
national elections and she had in hand the pages on which the party manifestos
had been printed. Even with all this research she had still been unsure of
which party to vote for. As a side thought, I wondered how many of us were (and
are) willing to do research on our political parties and leaders so we can make
informed decisions.
At this juncture, I must share that I find it rather
‘unsettling’ to have to vote for a party, as is the case in South Africa,
instead of voting for an individual, as is the case in Botswana. I believe in
being given an opportunity to vote for a competent individual to be my voice in
government. Having been awarded this opportunity as Batswana, I find it sad
that we continue to vote for parties. Anyway, upon arrival at the polling
station Robin presented her Identity document to a member of staff of the IEC
(Independent Electoral Commission). This member of staff was a Xhosa speaking
lady and she made an error in assuming that Robin was also Xhosa. This is an assumption that had
taken deep root here in the Western Cape. Upon presenting her Afrikaans surname
and pronouncing her inability to speak Xhosa, Robin was given a sneer for a
response and a minor gossip later ensued about just how coloured she was. We
could each infer differently about Robin’s case, but she felt discriminated
against by a fellow black person for not being 'black enough'. With this, her
national vote had been decided. She decided not to vote for the ANC because she
believes that after 20 years of democracy we should have bridged the gap
between the black and coloured people of South Africa. She believes we are one
people. It disturbs her how when speaking of poor people we only mention black
people; forgetting about the millions of coloureds who struggle to make ends
meet. She cited examples within her home town, Kimberly, where preference is
given to black people by the ANC, with better investments being made in black
settlements. Her vote was for the DA.
While in the queue to casting her vote, from behind her, a
male voice expressed its gladness in having her present at that polling station and how
things had really changes now that apartheid was over. It was only at that moment that Robin realised she was the only black person standing in the queue.
The other black people present at the polling that morning were the security
guards and the IEC staff members. She then expressed her understanding of why
she was the only black person on the queue. Gardens, the area we live in, is a
very white area, being close to Table Mountain and all. One finds that the
closer they get to the mountain the more white the community becomes. It dawned
on her that “Capetonian ‘liberals’ are racist and classist”. With that, her
provincial vote had been decided. Here vote went to AGANG SA because she wants
some change in the Western Cape, a change that will enable all to benefit. This reminded me of an article I had read a
week earlier in the The Guardian (UK) about the pronounced social
injustices of Cape Town.
I don’t know if I would have voted had I been South
African. Had I voted though, it would have been for the DA at national level. I
would have voted for the DA because I believe in the potential of the ANC as a
party for the people. My vote would have been to serve as a wake-up call for
the ANC and to have our party leaders up their game in serving the needs of the
people. The ANC has gotten really comfortable in power, even the party leader
believes they are invincible with statements such as “ANC will rule till Jesus
comes”. It would have been to serve as a reminder to the ANC that they are
not our only option, we believe in the ANC but we also have the power to make a
different choice should our needs not be catered for. My provincial vote is
undecided but I suspect I would have voted either for AGANG SA or for the DA.
* Not her real name.
