EFF captures predominantly youth vote at Gauteng legislature voting station

Election results from the Gauteng legislature voting station in Johannesburg, where hundreds of youths waited in long queues after midnight to cast their votes, showed the EFF leading on Friday afternoon.

The station had a huge voter turnout with hundreds of people waiting in snaking queues for an average of six to seven hours. Voting at the station finished in the early hours of Thursday. 

A breakdown of election results from the station on Friday showed Julius Malema’s EFF party leading with 45.08%, followed by the ANC with 13.84% and MK Party with 13.66%. 

Many voters at the station had voiced frustration about unemployment.

Mother of two Rina Pita, who has been unemployed for 12 years and braved a seven-hour wait to vote at station, told TimesLIVE the EFF impressed her with its radical approach to problems faced by South Africans. 

“I have been unemployed since 2012 and I have children I need to provide for. I live on a government grant but that is not enough to take care of my children's needs. I have been searching for a job but year after year I'm counted in unemployment statistics. I will vote for a party that promises to radically deal with unemployment,” she said.

The pain of not being employed for years was shared by many who stood in the lines.

Communications graduate Siziphiwe Dyasi told TimesLIVE of her struggle of being unemployed for eight years. She also queued for seven hours to cast her vote. 

“In the last elections I was not able to vote but this time around I want to vote because I want change. I have been unemployed for the past eight years. I want to see if my vote will make a change for them to see that unemployment is a crisis,” Dyasi said. 

Voter Linathi Bodlani, 25, who waited in the lines with her 13-month-old daughter, there was a need for change. She believed the governing party was not doing enough to deal with poverty and unemployment. 

“I am a young South African who is hungry for change. Hungry for growth in our country to reach the fullest potential. For us to get jobs. I decided that for us to get the change we want we have to actively get up and vote,” she said. 

“The long queues show people want change and they are backing that up with action. I will stand here with my daughter until I vote. I want to vote for change and growth in our country so we reach our full potential.” 

Though struggling to retain its third spot in the national election results, t Gauteng's election results showed the EFF making inroads on Friday afternoon. 

With 57.6% of the votes counted, the red berets were in the third spot with 12.37%. 

TimesLIVE