Post-Voting Portraits of South Africans at the Polls

An estimated 93 percent of voting stations opened on time and people showed up in numbers, for what is looking like a decisive year in South African politics.

OkayAfrica was on the ground at two polling stations in the city of Johannesburg to see how voters were feeling after casting the ballot. A good number of the citizens we spoke to say they are hopeful that their vote will bring about much-needed change, thirty years after the first democratic elections. South Africa goes to this year’s polls amidst violent crime and high levels of unemployment.

Below are six voters sharing their thoughts and feelings about participating in this year’s democratic process.

Chrisna Van Rhyn (21)

Chrisna Van Rhyn says that it’s a privilege to be able to vote.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Van Rhyn: It was scary when I first went in, but then it was like ‘Oh, okay, this is a bit anticlimactic.’ I was looking forward to voting, I was excited. I think it’s interesting. It’s a privilege to make a difference in my country and to be able to vote. There’s a lot going on, so I’m glad that I get to be part of the decision on who gets to run the country.

Nazime Randera (67)

Nazeem Randera has been voting since 1994.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Randera: I’ve been voting since the onset of our democracy in 1994, and it’s a good thing to see so many people pitching up. I think this is an important election, because thirty years of the ANC ruling the country, I guess people are wondering whether or not there is a need for change. It’s an important election in terms of people wanting to know what the future holds. We know that there have been many mistakes over the past thirty years, and all democracies have mistakes over a period of time, especially in newly-established [ones who] have come out of colonialism. In the case of South Africa, we came out of three hundred or more years of oppression. To then expect everything to be hunky-dory and good after 1994 is like expecting magic to take place.

Motshewa Khaiyane (34)

Motshewa Khaiyane feels good about being able to choose her leaders.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Khaiyane: It feels good knowing that I was able to choose my leaders. I've also been more conflicted on who the best option would be regarding each ballot paper. However my choices are made and I look forward to finding out the results. One feeling that still hasn't left me is hope. I'm hoping for change.

Pontsana Tshehla (20)

Pontsana Tshehla is a first-time voter who wants change.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Tshehla: This is my first time to vote, and we want change. We’re students here at [University of Johannesburg], and some of us were defunded by NSFAS (the National Student Financial Aid Scheme), so we want change. I’m convinced that the party I voted for will bring about change.

Andiswa Mkosi (34)

Andiswa Mkosi is hopeful about the country’s future.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Mkosi: I didn’t vote during the 2019 elections. I voted this time around, and I was doing so for the second time in my life. I think also doing it in another city [Mkosi is from Cape Town] brought a different element for me; from the [registration] up to the actual day of the polls. I’m hopeful about the country’s future, and I think that it was my responsibility as a citizen to go get that mark and place my [thumb] on those three ballot papers.

Bantu Mahlangu (32)

Bantu Mahlangu still distrusts the government.

Photo by Tšeliso Monaheng.

Mahlangu: Being able to step out and actually play a role in shaping or trying to shape our country was a great feeling today. It was great seeing people coming out in numbers to participate in deciding how we get to move forward in the country. I still have an unsettling feeling of not trusting the government; something in me keeps saying my vote won't count because they are going to rig the results anyway. It's so hard to have faith in a government that has failed us in so many ways, but we still show up either way because we actually would love to see our government do better with our country.