Alfred Moselakgomo

Alfred Moselakgomo

Despite being given the chance to cast special votes, many old and disabled people were yesterday seen in long queues in many parts of Mpumalanga choosing to vote like anyone else.

In KaNyamazane outside Nelspruit, Baby Mkhonto, a woman stricken by a stroke, was waiting in a queue to cast her vote.

"What special vote?" she said when asked why she did not vote earlier when those with special needs were allowed to vote.

"Since 1994 I never missed voting in the elections and won't allow this stroke to prevent me from doing so this time," said Mkhonto.

In Karino, also in Nelspruit, Betty Matheas, 96, was in a long queue at a local shopping centre.

"I didn't know that there were special votes for people like me.

"I would have taken up that offer had I known," she said.

The oldest person to cast a vote in the province was 104-year-old Fridah Thwala of Standerton.

Some people probably did not use the special vote because "they wanted to vote with everybody else", said IEC provincial spokesperson Steve Ngwenya.