READER LETTER | Voters have played their role, now it’s up to new leaders

The hopeful, young and old, SA citizens heeded the call to vote while others minded their own business not bothered by the euphoria.

Hopefully, my two-hour wait in a long queue to cast my vote will be rewarded with a caring government and servant leadership. 

The voting challenges across the country cast aspersions on the IEC’s readiness. The reports of scanners’ poor connectivity, names omitted on the voters’ roll, unidentifiable IEC officials, insufficient security personnel and so on were general frustrations experienced by some voters.

The elections operations require a professional approach, astute leadership, dedicated personnel, high conduct of all citizens, political leadership support and so on The parties contesting elections too have an obligation to educate members of the public on the dos and don’ts. It can’t just be shouting slogans at rallies without empowering followers with education on a code of conduct and so on. Under the circumstances, citizens should applaud the IEC staff at the polling stations who were overstretched but still on top of their game under the vigilant eyes of party agents.

With lessons learnt, the post-elections assessment will hopefully open the IEC to proposals on a new voting plan. To improve the service, the IEC can hold discussions with other sectors. The banking sector can volunteer its personnel for four hours on voting day to supervise voting stations. The high corporate efficiency culture and professional touch will add value and improve operations.

Such will bring the missing positive element of patriotism, social cohesion and nation-building attributes. The stadiums, schools, sports fields, malls and so on should in the future be considered as polling stations, with better administration, toilets facilities and safety protocols in place.

All the contributions can be managed within the IEC’s mandate and authority as a free service to the nation. A nation motivated by monetary profit as a basis of its existence ends up losing the essence of its moral compass. Free service to a country is a most honourable and praiseworthy job. The sun has set on watershed elections day. Voters played their role and now it’s up to those entrusted with the citizen’s hopes to demonstrate their worth to be in parliament. 

Jerry Tsie, Pretoria