EDITORIAL | Our forefathers fought hard for the privilege to vote, don’t squander it

South Africans are a vocal bunch. We are quick to complain when we are not happy. We call in to radio stations, we post our views on social media, we protest in the streets. We wave banners, we chant and sing songs. Sometimes we even get unruly.

South Africans have a lot to say and we don’t hold back. We make our voices heard. Service delivery, crime, the state of our roads and our rail network, unemployment, corruption, load-shedding, potholes ... there is a lot to complain about, and we never let our politicians forget it. 

But there is also so much to love and to be proud of. Our natural beauty, our vibrancy, our diversity, our tenacity. Our sporting heroes, our weather, our ubuntu, our culture, our arts and those who excel at it on international platforms. South Africa is a country of abundance, a place like no other. And for that we cheer, we sing, we dance.

On May 29, we cannot allow ourselves to fall silent. This is the day South Africa will go to the polls for the 2024 national and provincial elections, as announced by the presidency on Tuesday, after consultations with the Independent Electoral Commission. It is the day on which every South African 18 and older should make their voice heard.

This will be our country’s seventh democratic general election. Momentously, it marks 30 years of democracy.

Some “Tintswalos” will be voting for the first time. But many others can still clearly remember that historic day on April 24 1994, when they got to mark their cross on a ballot paper for the very first time.

According to the IEC, more than 27-million South Africans are registered to vote — 55% of them women and 45% men. Despite two voter registration campaigns, 14 million others remain unregistered but are eligible to do so.

They can still see in their minds the endless snaking lines of people waiting patiently for their hard fought right to have a say in how our country should be governed. The singing, the chatter, the jubilation. It was history in the making. Sometimes it feels so long ago. Other times it seems like yesterday.

Perhaps for some, the dreams first-time voters had that day for South Africa’s future may not have fully materialised. Others may feel that democracy has brought an abundance of opportunities and changed so many lives for the better. But whatever your thoughts are, voting is a right we should never take for granted.

If you are unhappy with where you find yourself in South Africa today, use your vote to send a message. Similarly, those satisfied with our trajectory and achievements should do the same. Let your voice be heard through your X.

According to the IEC, more than 27-million South Africans are registered to vote — 55% of them women and 45% men. Despite two voter-registration campaigns, 14-million others remain unregistered but are eligible to do so.

These voters have until this Friday to register. They should not procrastinate. They can visit the IEC’s offices in their municipality or use the electoral body’s online portal. After registrations close on Friday, the election date will be proclaimed and gazetted.

While the final number of contenders on the ballot paper still needs to be confirmed, due to the inclusion of independent candidates for the first time, there will be plenty of options to choose from.

Who can forget some of those quirky parties form the past ... the Keep it Straight and Simple Party, the Dagga Party, The Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners and the Bolsheviks Party are just a few. Now there are new kids on the block. Team Sugar and Rise Mzansi among them.

Do you think Al Jama-ah is slaying the Joburg coalition? Or that we need more red overalls in parliament? Or that the Minority Front needs a chance to prove what it can do? Whatever your political proclivities are, make it known. Do your research. Find the party that is the closet fit to your preferences, and be a part of our country’s future.

For years many South Africans were not given the chance to contribute towards shaping the future. We should not squander the privilege that our forefathers fought so hard for.

Don’t see it as “just one vote” that will not make a difference in the grand scheme of things. See it as a right, a responsibility to be part of our big beautiful, loud, messy democracy. Make your voice heard.