Take a bow, Mzansi

Thumbs up for peaceful election

MILLIONS of voters yesterday flocked to more than 20,000 voting stations around the country to cast their votes in this year's local government elections.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced yesterday that 95 percent of the polling stations were open by 9.30am with the voting going on smoothly with just a few glitches.

Most political parties have expressed their optimism about the outcome - with the ANC vowing to trounce the opposition in all of the country's metros - including Cape Town, now under the DA.

ANC election head and Minister of Sports Fikile Mbalula said the party was confident of an overwhelming victory.

"We are not shaken or scared because victory is in our blood," he said.

ANC president Jacob Zuma - who voted in his village of Nkandla - was also upbeat about ANC's victory.

"I am very optimistic because we have made serious advances. We will surprise many," said Zuma.

There are perceptions that yesterday's elections took place at a time when the ANC has been put on the backfoot by the spate of service delivery protests that have ravaged the country recently.

The DA has been latching onto this calling on the voters to ditch the ANC.

Voting in Rondebosch, Cape Town yesterday, DA leader Helen Zille said the DA was the only party that could undo the legacy of apartheid by delivering services to all.

She accused the ANC of taking South Africa "back to division".

Zille said yesterday's election was a turning point for people to start voting about issues as opposed to racial division.

The service delivery protests have also led to some residents publicly declaring that they would boycott the elections.

Yesterday ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe - who voted in Tshwane - said boycotting the elections was "cutting one's nose to spite one's face".

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi - who voted in his home village, KwaPhindangene - said his party had done all it could to woo voters.

"All is now in God's hands."

Cope deputy general secretary Lyndall Shope-Mafole believes that it will pull a rabbit out of a hat and baffle those who have written the party off.

"We went into the battle as underdogs, therefore, we do not have pressure to do well but trust me there will be a big surprise," she said.

Azapo secretary for environmental affairs Billy Mogale was optimistic that the party would do well in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.

United Democratic Movement national treasurer Thandi Nontenja said the party's goal was to take back the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality in Eastern Cape which it lost to the ANC in the 2006 elections.

The party is also looking at doing well in Alfred Nzo and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities.

African Christian Democratic Party's Raymond Tlaeli believes that the party would double the 91 councillors they have nationally.

Political analysts believe that the ANC will hold onto the five metros it currently governs - namely Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Ethekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Yesterday political analyst and public management lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology Levy Ndou said infighting within Cope had cost the party dearly because members ended up not knowing who their real leader was.