Final Day of Special Votes: Politicians Lead by Example

• Tuesday marks the final day for casting special votes, with prominent politicians, including DA's Christopher Pappas, participating ahead of the general elections on 29 May
• Pappas encouraged KZN voters to use their votes to drive change, emphasising the power to hire or fire leaders
• The Electoral Commission processed 201,794 special votes by Monday afternoon, with 62,000 officials visiting 624,593 voters over two days

Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered local elections, policy changes, the State of the Nation Address and political news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.

Tuesday marks the second and last day for the casting of special votes.

More politicians have been seen casting their special votes, ahead of the general elections on Wednesay, 29 May.

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DA KwaZulu-Natal premier candidate Christopher Pappas was one of the leaders casting his vote at the Thembelihle Primary School in Howick, KwaZulu Natal.

See the post below:

Leaders are leading by example

Speaking to EWN, Papas said he was confident that DA will achieve significant progress in KZN in this election.

"My message to all voters in KZN is to maintain faith in democracy as a means of driving change. With your vote, you have the power to hire or fire those in office. You can choose to keep the current leaders or replace them."

The Umgeni mayor urged South Africans to use their democratic right to to either get rid of or bring on board leaders they trust.

Other politicians casting special votes

Pappas was not the only one casting his special vote. Since special voting was opened on Monday a number of politicians and veterans were seen gracing voting stations.

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In a post on X former finance minister Tito Mboweni also went to cast his vote:

ANC provincial deputy secretary Nompumelelo Hlophe has cast her vote in Thembisile Hani.

The Speaker of the Free State Legislature Zanele Sifuba also casted her vote today at Welkom High School, Bedelia Voting Station.

Former Western Cape premier and Cape Town ex-mayor Helen Zille, was among the early voters on Monday morning.

Last day for special votes

According to SA News total of 1.6 million special votes were approved for individuals who are physically infirm, disabled, pregnant, or unable to vote at their designated polling stations on election day.

Masego Sheburi, the Electoral Commission’s Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, reported that by 2pm on Monday, approximately 201,794 special vote visits had been processed at 22,626 service points.

"Over the two days, 62,000 officials from the Electoral Commission, along with political party agents and observers where available, will visit a total of 624,593 voters at their homes."

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"If the voter is not present at the given address, they will need to cast their vote at their registered voting station."

Citizens gear up to cast their votes

In a similar report, Briefly News noted that the 2024 South African general election, on Wednesday, 29 May, promises to be a nail-biting affair, with citizens gearing to cast their votes.

Many expect the ANC's support to drop below 50%, which may lead to a multi-party government being formed for the first time in South Africa's democratic history.

The ANC has been the ruling party since South Africa became a democratic country 30 years ago.

Source: Briefly News