Peaceful polls in Ward 14

The roads leading to Alicedale are in disrepair. Potholes and deep gullies are rife and thorny branches encroach on the road. This was the primary issue raised by voters at the polling stations in and around Alicedale.

Although many other grievances were raised, the majority of voters seemed calm and content. The four stations in Ward 14 were situated in Seven Fountains, Sidbury, Highlands and Alicedale. All stations opened promptly at 7am and people seemed to pass through the polls quickly.

There was a strong police presence and all the relevant party agents were there. Voters were happy with the level of assistance provided by the IEC. There appeared to be no violence or intimidation – voters wearing Cope, ANC and DA T-shirts ambled around talking to one another.

While most of the party officials were friendly and helpful, we were met with some resistance at the Seven Fountains voting station, when we were refused a brief interview with the presiding officer. Many officials were suspicious of us and what our intentions were.

This was also true of voters at all four stations, who seemed scared to answer any questions regarding the voting process. The voters seemed to be afraid that we might ask them who they were voting for. Most of the voting stations were very quiet, with voters arriving slowly.

The stations did not seem to gain much momentum throughout the morning, and some of the presiding officers said that they did not expect many more voters to arrive. However, Alicedale was one voting station that had a substantial number of voters.

Party representatives and voters mulled around drinking coffee, while many interesting characters shared their views on voting. While many were clear on who they wanted to vote for, Margaret Human had a different view “I am voting for Jesus, by spreading the word of Jesus to voters. I am not voting for either the DA or the ANC, because they don’t deliver on their promises.”