'It's to save our country': CT youth spurn 'Slaapstad' moniker & queue early to vote
Many young people were among the early birds, eager to vote for the first time, and also to vote for their futures.
A voter casts his vote at the Rosebank Junior School in Cape Town on 29 May 2024. Picture: Skhu Nkomphela/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Capetonians rebuffed their "Slaapstad" moniker on Wednesday, with hundreds in the queues long before dawn.
While it’s too early for the Electoral Commission to comment on the extent of turnout, Eyewitness News witnessed snaking queues at polling stations in the city centre even before they officially opened.
Many young people were among the early birds, eager to vote for the first time, and also to vote for their futures.
Voters brave winter chills as they queue in Goodwood, Cape Town to cast their ballot.#Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/i34Jx8Qxww
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 29, 2024
Sandown, Table View residents are up and waiting patiently to cast their votes #Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/SP77QFG2cR
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 29, 2024
In a province where just over half a million of the 3.3 million registered voters are under 30, the Electoral Commission is hoping this election will turn the tide on voter apathy among the youth.
"I’m a first-time voter, I just decided to come early and get it done. And I also have an essay due today, so I wanted to get it done," one young voter said.
But for others, it was a matter of the sooner they voted, the quicker the change they hoped to see.
"This is a very special vote, because it’s to save our country, and that’s why I think there’s going to be a big turnout. I’m starting to feel like we’re losing our country. And we must regain it. That’s why I’m here so early," another voter said.
"To get this out of the way, to change this country, man," a third added.
The Western Cape had a 66% voter turnout in 2019, but if voting queues are anything to go by, that number could be exceeded.