OPINIONISTA: Not with a bang, but a whimper: Almost free and almost fair on the south-western tip of Africa By Paul Hoffman PaulHoffmanSC
Planning for casting your vote timeously is a tricky business in the new SA. My local polling station is at the King of Kings Baptist Church in Noordhoek, the yellow brick building that graces the intersection at the bottom of Ou Kaapse Weg and lies on the route of the Two Oceans foot races, as well as the Cape Town Cycle Tour: Familiar with marathon events then.
Taking up our places at the back of the queue behind two semi-retired estate agents, we were soon joined by two young Navy ratings and around 7am more aspirant voters joined the line, now snaking around the parking lot. The shared hardship of standing in the rain to exercise our right to vote provoked a lot of bonhomie and wise-cracks; the virtuous feeling of being there, among the first to arrive, kept the mood of the queue buoyant at least until 7.
Some grumpy old men were heard to bark at the Alderman, giving vent to their fury at the delay, the unexplained delay. They calmed down when it was explained that despite the officious demeanour of the Alderman, she was not part of the late IEC team and was not likely ever to be so. However, when 45 minutes had elapsed and there was still no movement the grumpy old men gave voice to their displeasure. I phoned the local radio station. Yes, they had several reports of late openings. After 8am I got to speak to Keino Kammies on air: He would report the matter to Courtney Sampson; yes, the station would remain open late if it opened late and no, an explanation for the tardiness had not been furnished.
Eventually, after 8.30am the sick, lame, elderly and child-accompanied were allowed in, and soon after the real queue started to move. One joker emerging from the process assured us that the pace of work within the hall would have us all waiting all day. Actually, not so, the scanning of identity documents, issuing of ballot papers, marking of thumbs and posting of duly-completed ballot papers in ballot boxes was mercifully quick.
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