Vote abroad could be affected by proposed tube strikes

Possible strike action by RMT Union members from 28 April to 1 May could cause problems for South Africans wanting to cast their votes in London on Wednesday 30 April.

After causing two days of travel chaos in February, the RMT union has called a further five days of strike action for London Underground workers. If the strikes go ahead, Tube services will be affected from around 9pm on Monday 28 April until the morning of Thursday 1 May and again from Monday 5 May until Friday 9 May.

It has not been verified yet whether the strike action will indeed go ahead, as union leaders are trying to reach solutions  to avoid service disruptions as part of ongoing negotiations; however, it has been confirmed that if the strike does go ahead, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground and regular rail services would not be affected by the industrial action.

However, delays to your journey might still be caused by other commuters opting for alternative methods of transportation, as buses are also expected to fill to capacity.

Voters have been advised to find alternate arrangements to make the their way to the ballot box at the South African High Commission (South Africa House) on Trafalgar Square on election day.

The voting booths will be open only on Wednesday, 30 April 2014 from 7am to 9pm, giving you a total of 14 hours to cast your vote.

Remember that you have to bring along both your South African passport as well as your ID book in addition to having registered previously and having filled out the online VEC10 form in preparation.

Your voter registration will be compared against the voters’ roll.

By Sertan Sanderson, 2014