Babies allowed to cut the line

2011-05-18 10:31

Johannesburg - Bringing baby along to the voting station proved to be a good decision for Jaco and Sarah Els, who got to move to the front of the queue to cast their votes.

The queue at the Midrand High School had almost tripled in size since the doors opened at 07:00.

"It was a lovely experience, they [electoral officers] were very efficient and we were in and out in about 20 minutes," said Sarah.

Her husband Jaco, who was in charge of pushing baby Rebecca's pram, said that it was their second voting experience since moving to Midrand.

The last time the couple voted, it took them two hours to reach the front of the queue.

Service delivery, potholes

The pair were hopeful that their votes would help ensure that service delivery was met and that potholes would be addressed.

"We are hoping that they fix some problems that have been part of this community for so long," said Jaco.

Being able to return home early would mean being able to catch up on household chores.

"I am so happy that it didn’t take too long. We can now go home sort out some things we don’t usually have time for," said Sarah.

Many warmly-dressed voters turned-up early on Wednesday with flasks in hand.

The station's presiding officer Charlotte Zita said it would be a long and difficult day.

"It has been hectic," she said.

"People have been queuing up here since 06:00, before we even opened, hence you can see the long queue so it is going to be a very long day."

She said all the logistics were in place to accommodate the 3 800 voters expected at the station.

- SAPA