Elderly queue to vote, but see it as a privilege

JORDAN MOSHE

They were taking part in a special vote, by means of which the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) ensures that those who can’t get to a voting station on election day still have the ability to vote.

In this case, the IEC came to Sandringham Gardens, allowing residents to vote in the convenience and comfort of the home.

Though many of the elderly queued for hours, all were determined to cast their ballots and exercise their democratic right, as they have always done.

While many were heard grumbling at the inconvenience and chaos that queuing caused, they were all adamant it was essential to vote. “What a balagan it was,” says resident Rita Baron. “We stood there for hours and hours, and finally got to vote. But you have to persevere.

“The privilege of voting is one which is so easy to overlook,” she says. “I heard that hundreds of young people say they won’t vote because it doesn’t make a difference. As frustrating as it may be, we all have to make a point of voting as South Africans and as Jews. It’s vital.”

Those who spent the morning grumbling are among those who overlook the privilege, says fellow resident Julie Bersohn. “We have a voting station right here for us,” she says. “People have no excuse not to vote, and even if they have to wait in a queue, they can just walk to the auditorium and vote. It’s so convenient. We need to make use of it and the right it affords us.”

Another resident, Shabsy Mayers, recounted how he had joined the queue that morning immediately after breakfast, numbering third from the front. Because of delays by the IEC in getting voting going, he ended up waiting almost three hours. Still, he says, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“In some countries, people don’t even get the chance to vote for their leaders,” he says. “Here, we have the gift of the vote, and have to put it to use. You just have to listen to the scary things the Economic Freedom Fighters say to recognise how important it really is.”

Mayers recounted how he voted for the first time 1953 at the age of 18, and has made an effort to vote at every opportunity since then. In the first democratic election of 1994, he queued for eight hours, never for one moment wavering in his civil duty.

“We as Jews have had it fairly good in South Africa, but it hasn’t come easy. We’ve made a tremendous commitment and worked hard towards what we’ve achieved. The right to vote as Jews is so important and meaningful. We must use it.”

He says that although we may not see immediate change after we vote, it does make a difference. “If every individual decided that his vote wouldn’t make a difference, no one would actually vote. It’s our duty to go to the poll and vote at every opportunity, no matter the odds. Make your voice heard.”