Talk of the Town’s expanded elections reporting team had much of Ndlambe covered for the national and provincial election on May 29, 2024. Photos and reports by Mark Carrels (Ward 10), Sibulele Mtongana (Wards 6, 7 and 9), Piet Marais, Sue Maclennan (Nolukhanyo, Bathurst and Titi Jonas), Sarah Bradfield (Shaw Park), Colin Stirk (Southwell), George Petzer (Boknes, Cannon Rocks, Alexandria), and correspondents in Marselle, Klipfontein and Ekuphumleni who preferred to remain uncredited.
There were delays in getting voting started at several voting stations in Ndlambe, reportedly due to connectivity problems. But these were resolved and by around 8am, voting had begun in those of the 31 voting stations in Ndlambe that the Talk of the Town election reporting team visited.
Our team was on the ground by 6.30am, half an hour before voting stations were meant to open. TOTT reporters visited voting stations at Nolukhanyo community Hall, Freestone Stadium and Bathurst Primary School in Bathurst; Station Hill community hall; Kuyasa Secondary School, Jauka Hall and Titi Jonas community hall in Nemato; and the Civic Centre in Port Alfred. Sarah Bradfield reported from the Shaw Park voting station, at the school. Piet Marais reported on the situations at Boesmansriviermond town hall and Kenton town hall. We received situation reports from correspondents in Boknes, Cannon Rocks, Alexandria, Ekuphumleni, Marselle, Klipfontein and Southwell.
The voting venues were open, IEC officers were there and there were police officers at every venue that we visited. During the time that the TOTT elections reporting team visited voting stations (6.30am to 10am), interaction between supporters of the different parties who had set up tables outside the IEC demarcated areas was mostly friendly and relaxed.
According to the IEC’s voter registration statistics, a total of 35 258 people are registered to vote in the Ndlambe municipal area – 15 596 mane and 19 662 women. Of those, 689 would be first-time voters (18-19) and 4 172 are aged 20-29. But if they were excited about voting, it wasn’t in evidence that early in the day. Few of those we interacted with in the queues were under 30. “For things to get better” was the common thread among voters there when we asked what they were hoping to achieve with their vote.
At sunrise, a queue already 20-strong stretched along the fence outside the Nolukhanyo community hall. The ANC and DA had set up gazebos, with the MK Party and EFF supporters a bit slower off the blocks.
At 6.45am, only the ANC had set up outside Freestone Stadium, with other parties arriving a little later – but still before the IEC had set up inside the venue. Ballot boxes and voting booths arrived at the two Nolukhanyo voting stations well after 7am.

Image: COLIN STIRK
“All quiet and orderly – nothing to report,” was the report from Colin Stirk at Southwell.

It was a peaceful start to election day in Shaw Park, with a slow and steady trickle of voters making their mark in the humble old school hall.
According to IEC officials, the day started well despite some minor technical difficulties. “We got the issues sorted and it has been cool, calm, and everything is now going accordingly.”
Committed voters travelled from nearby farms in bakkies and on foot, with some walking seven kilometres to cast their vote. Buyiswa Silo, 56, said she was battling with sore legs after the long walk from a local farm, but that she wouldn’t miss the opportunity of casting her vote. “We’ve walked all this way and now we are going to turn around and walk back,” she said.
Bonani Samu, 25, who works on a local cattle farm was disappointed at not being able to vote, due to his name not registering on the system, “I’m very stressed because I haven’t voted before and I really wanted to vote this time,” he said.
Mother of four Linkie Snooks, 54, has voted numerous times over the years but said she is disillusioned with the lack of follow-through from government. “We vote but nothing changes. We keep voting and we are promised jobs but they don’t come.” Snooks said she worries for her children, one of whom is at school in Bathurst, and the other three unemployed and living with her. “Our children live in the location and they get up to nonsense like drugs because they don’t have jobs,” she said.
Local Rudi Riddin from nearby St Francis said the voting had been a quick and easy process. “It was so easy and fast,” she said.
Members of the SAPS on site said the situation was calm and under control, with no incidents to report.

In Ekuphumleni there was a strong police presence following disturbances on Monday. Spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said that on Monday, the first day of special voting, protesters had visited the voting station in Ekuphumleni and instructed the IEC staff to close it.
“Police responded and the voting station was opened again after being closed for a short while. The voting station opened on time [Tuesday] without any interruptions.
Midday on Wednesday, McCarthy said, “All voting stations in Ndlambe are open and people are voting without any hindrances. There have been no protests or other incidents and everything is going smoothly,” he reported to Talk of the Town.

Alexandria and Marselle were the sites of protests during the past two weeks. On Wednesday, Alexandra resident and national assembly candidate George Petzer said, “Everything is fine. The voting stations are working 100%.”

He said the initial internet connectivity issues had been resolved by 8am and voting was proceeding normally. Petzer said voting was also running smoothly in Boknes and Cannon Rocks.

In Ward 3, Bushman’s River Mouth Town Hall, where all was in order, Dennis Keet and Sandy Daynes were the first to arrive to cast their votes.
Klipfontein, which also experienced protests in the past two weeks, was quiet on Wednesday morning, with no incidents, our correspondent there reported.
Ward 6, Station Hill, has 4 337 registered voters – but Station Hill residents were not up early to vote. Several elderly residents rose to the occasion and hoped young people would join during the day.
Ward 7 voted at Kuyasa Combined School Hall in eNdlovini. There, voting went smoothly and there were no hassles. An elderly mane fainted at around 9am but paramedics got there in time to assist him. This ward has 3 025 registered voters.
Ward 9 in Nemato voted at Jauka Hall amongst other voting stations, the ward has 3 025 registered voters.
With 4,122 registered voters in Ward 10, the car park at the Port Alfred Civic Centre was packed with vehicles as early as 6.30am – an indication of the number of voters who had arrived to make their mark.
Two separate queues snaked for quite a distance from the two entrances – the main one to the front of the municipal library adjacent to the civic centre.
The atmosphere in the crowd was peaceful, broken only by only mild banter as many took the time to chat to each other and to catch up with the latest news. Voters were patiently waiting their turn to enter the venue.
Earlier, doors to the voting station opened a few minutes late as IEC officials put up signs on the entrance door indicating that the queues were going to be split up according to alphabetical order into two to speed up voting. In the second queue on the side of the main entrance, a polite IEC election official showed voters to their correct queues.
The queue mostly comprised voters from around mid-40s to 65-70 with a scattering of young adults in mid to late 20s. Most voters said they were voting for positive change and were tired of corruption in government. They also were voting for better leadership that could take the country forward and who could get a grip on crime and improve basic services.
The youth interviewed were concerned about unemployment saying that many were forced to leave South Africa because it was difficult to find jobs.
Many middle-aged voters said despite its problems they were optimistic positive change would come to South Africa but it was important to cast one’s vote to see the change materialise. One voter said he wasn’t hopeful positive change would occur in his lifetime but it was important to vote for his children and grandchildren’s future.
Three parties present under gazebos watched from a distance. They were ANC, Action SA and DA. At least two parties said they were working well together. An Action SA official said they had already drawn up a list of complaints about the behaviour of a rival party and refused to mention the name but “that that was normal for any election”. Otherwise the relationships were cordial.
An election official said that everything had gone smoothly despite having opened a few minutes late. There were police officers watching over proceedings and about eight election officials.
Tommy’s Coffee was seemingly doing a brisk trade with the sale of coffee as patrons took time off to grap a beverage while standing in the queue. The assistant said he was from Nemato and would vote later.
Some people coming out of the station said the process had been smooth without any hiccups.
Those who saw the relatively long queues outside the Civic Centre and decided to leave their voting until later regretted it: the queues were longer than ever.