Durban — A steady flow of voters streamed into the local civic hall in Escombe, Queensburgh, to make their mark along with millions of South Africans around the country in Wednesday’s national and provincial elections.
There was an easy-going atmosphere in and around this polling station, with many of those who cast their vote at the Queensburgh Civic Hall generally appreciative of the high visibility of police and security personnel at the venue.
However, Ramduth Somlal and his wife, Shama Devi, held slightly differing views on the security detail evident.
“I think voters would come in their numbers because they would feel more safe and secure.”
Shama Devi was speaking in the context of ballot boxes allegedly being interfered with in Hammarsdale at the weekend and the taxi blockade and looting that occurred in Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape, on Monday.
“Having many police and security officers present would prevent any possibility of problems,” she said.
Ramduth agreed that it was a proactive step to have a greater security presence, which was a far cry from the years when he worked as presiding officer at polling stations.
“In the 1994 elections, we only had one police officer who would visit our voting station at random times to ensure all was well.
“This environment is a bit intimidating because it tells you that you are anticipating something when you see this many officers on duty, but it is justified, given the trouble we had in the last few days.”
Ramduth, a former school principal and presiding officer on various occasions at the Gitanjali Primary School in Chatsworth, before retirement, was appreciative of the work the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) was doing to ensure that the voting process ran smoothly.
He recalled the days when he would spend long hours afterwards at the voting station to ensure the vote counting tallied with their records.
Shama Devi said everything went well at the voting station on Wednesday.
“It’s a great feeling to be voting for a democratically elected government once again after growing up in a country that was under apartheid rule during some of our adult years.
“We are doing our bit by casting our votes. We hope everything goes well with the counting and the right people come into power.”
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Daily News