MALAIKA MAHLATSI | General elections made me proudly South African

I am writing this article while sitting at Istanbul Airport in Turkey, on my way to Germany where I’m residing while pursuing my doctoral studies at the University of Bayreuth in the state of Bavaria.

I am writing this article six days after I joined millions of South Africans at the polls to vote for a government of my choice. Six days ago, I stood in a queue at St Peter’s Preparatory School in Bryanston, Sandton, to cast my votes.

With hundreds of other residents of the Bryanston area, I stood for hours, determined to mark an X on three ballots and decide the fate of my country. It was a powerful moment. I am writing this article with a smile on my face, proud of what has happened in SA.

Like many people who voted for the party of my choice, I wish the outcome of this election had been different. I wish my party of choice had garnered more votes than it did.

But as I sit here writing this article, I cannot help but be incredibly proud of what this general election illustrated about the politics and future of SA.

This general election was significant for many reasons, one of which is that it took place on the 30th anniversary of our country’s democracy. While ours is one of the youngest democracies in the world, this election proved that it is one of the strongest.

I had the privilege of being an in-house analyst for various news channels during the election. I have also had the honour of being interviewed by various international news channels and media houses including Al Jazeera and Reuters.

From the day of the elections until the conclusion of vote counting, I was stationed at the national Results Operations Centre (ROC) at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.

There, I watched democracy unfold. As votes were being tallied, leaders of different political parties were socialising with each other, maintaining friendly relations in what was undoubtedly an anxiety-inducing moment. Journalists and political analysts were there asking difficult questions – the kinds that in other parts of the world cannot be asked.

I am proud to be South African. I am proud to be a citizen of a country where democracy is alive, not in theory, but in practice. I am from a country where a governing party lost power after 30 years in government and has gone on to accept the fairness of this outcome.

I am from a country where political parties raise some objections to election results but stand before the people and declare the elections free and fair and recognise that the logistical and technical challenges do not negate the legitimacy of the electoral commission.

I am from a country where more than 17,000 convicted prisoners cast their vote to decide the government of their choice – a country where incarcerated persons do not lose their citizenship and human rights. I am from a country where dissent is not criminalised.

I am from a country where being an election analyst doesn’t take away my right to wear a keffiyeh on air – a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people, because in my country, it is understood that there can be no neutrality in situations of injustice.

In my country, there is no aversion to making the bold statement: “I stand with Palestine”. I am from a country where people know we have many problems – but also see themselves as their own liberators. I am from a country where there is hope – a country that is alive with possibilities. I am from SA. And it feels good to be South African.