Former President Jacob Zuma greets supporters after casting his vote in Nkandla on Monday. Photo: Twitter
Former President Jacob Zuma greets supporters after casting his vote in Nkandla on Monday. Photo: Twitter
Former President Jacob Zuma has cast his vote on Election Day, with Msholozi telling reporters outside a voting station in Nkandla that who he stands behind is “no secret”.
Zuma – who is currently serving the remainder of a 15-month prison sentence from his home in the KwaZulu-Natal (KNN) district – said that he remains a member of the ANC and will continue to vote for the ruling party.
Zuma casts his vote
A jovial Zuma voted at the Ntolwane primary school in Nkandla along with former first lady Bongi Ngema, as well as a substantial entourage of security guards.
He was seen greeting ANC supporters camped at the gates of the school, who reciprocated with loud cheers for the former President. After making his mark at the voting station, Zuma offered reporters his thoughts on the local government elections, saying that he has always, and will always, vote for the ANC.
Zuma – who lives in ward 13, which is currently controlled by the IFP – has continued to campaign for the ruling party since he was provisionally released from prison due to allegedly poor health putting him at risk.
His supporters voiced their frustrations relating to poor service delivery in Nkandla while waiting in line, with many of his local support having urged their champion to switch alliances and vote elsewhere as the ANC falters.
But speaking the media, Zuma said that he voted for the ANC and that the party “will rule forever”.
President pleased with election turnout
Meanwhile, current president Cyril Ramaphosa has also cast his vote at the Hitekani Primary School in Chiawelo in Soweto, where residents earlier took to the streets to voice their frustrations with service delivery.
Ramaphosa was boo’d by protesters as he and his entourage arrived at the voting station, and said that he understands the discontent on display.
“The provision of services in municipalities is very complex,” he said. “Our people have reason to complain but they also have reason to raise these issues. Through their vote, they are expressing themselves either in the form of support of what they believe will be done, or in the form of protest for what they believe may not have been done.”
“We know what the problems are, and this time round we want to correct what has not been going well.”
He urged South Africans to continue coming out and casting their votes.
“I call on South Africans to exercise their democratic right this morning. I went on my usual walk this morning and came across people on their way to vote from as early as 6:00,” he said.
“Many South Africans are coming out in their numbers, and as a country we ought to be really proud that our democracy is spreading, becoming more and more entrenched, and many ordinary people are really excited about their participation in this process.”
