As various political party leaders crisscross the country visiting different registration sites, some were also trying to encourage young people to go out and vote.
The ANC has urged South Africans to go out in numbers to register to vote in the upcoming general elections.
“The ANC encourages all South African citizens, especially the youth, to take an active interest in our national democracy and its future. Even if undecided right now, register to vote and make your choice on voting day in 2024,” the party said in a statement.
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa, while inspecting the sites, said young people should go out in numbers as the future of the country was in their hands.
Hlabisa said he was particularly proud of the fact that the voting stations were opened on time, saying that showed that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) was well prepared.
“Here in eThekwini, numbers showed that young people came in their numbers to register to vote. What was more exciting was seeing the political maturity that was displayed by different political parties on all registration sites,” the IFP president said.
He further said the country needed peace and tranquillity for it to be able to transform and make it a better one for future generations.
Meanwhile, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont, speaking from his ward 117 at the Parkhurst Primary voting station, said South Africans had had enough of the current state of affairs they found themselves in.
“I am here in my branch to make sure that we get South Africans to be registered,” Beaumont said.
The party’s president, Herman Mashaba, said South Africans can’t afford to boycott this year’s elections as they can’t afford to have the same organisation back in power again.
At the same time, young people in Johannesburg who had registered to vote held various views about voting.
A 30-year-old Mabitso Mokoena from Pretoria North said she had registered to vote and that she can’t wait to cast her vote.
Mokoena said it was the youth’s responsibility to make sure that the future of the country and theirs were in their hands.
“I have registered, I am going to vote and I also know which organisation I am going to vote for. I am just waiting for the president to release a date so that we can get this thing going,” she said.
Amanda Mlanjeni, from Dawn in the Eastern Cape, said there was no point in voting as she did not see any reason for her to do so.
“What is the point of me casting my vote? This is just a futile exercise for me. There’s a lot of nepotism here – when it comes to job opportunities, one gets hired based on who they know, so I can’t continue voting for that,” Mlanjeni added.
She, however, revealed that she had registered but emphasised that she was not going to vote.