Despite not being able to vote on special voting days after their names did not appear on the special voters’ roll, senior citizens in the Buffalo City Metro braved the cold weather to go and cast their votes yesterday.
BCM experienced minor glitches on the first day of the special voting with 100 elderly people from various old-age homes being excluded from the special voters’ roll.
Others were simply not aware of the special voters’ roll.
In BCM’s Ward 3, which covers Southernwood, pensioners housed at Manor and Eldorado old-age homes had to be ferried to voting stations when they realised their names were not on the special voters’ roll.
In Ngqushwa municipality’s Qawukeni village, two frail sisters braved yesterday’s heavy rain to cast their vote after missing out on applying for special votes. The two said they were not aware of that option.
Thembeka Myali, 63, of Qawukeni village said she was assisted by neighbours to go to her local polling station. Myali suffers from arthritis and uses a walking stick.
Her sister-in-law, Zingiswa Myali, 65, who is partially blind, also had to walk to her polling station.
Their village is in Ward 4 under the Ngqushwa local municipality — Additional reporting by Bongani Fuzile/ simthandilef@dispatch.co.za/bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Elderly and frail brave weather to cast their votes
BCM experienced minor glitches on the first day of the special voting with 100 elderly people from various old-age homes being excluded from the special voters’ roll.
Others were simply not aware of the special voters’ roll.
In BCM’s Ward 3, which covers Southernwood, pensioners housed at Manor and Eldorado old-age homes had to be ferried to voting stations when they realised their names were not on the special voters’ roll.
In Ngqushwa municipality’s Qawukeni village, two frail sisters braved yesterday’s heavy rain to cast their vote after missing out on applying for special votes. The two said they were not aware of that option.
Thembeka Myali, 63, of Qawukeni village said she was assisted by neighbours to go to her local polling station. Myali suffers from arthritis and uses a walking stick.
Her sister-in-law, Zingiswa Myali, 65, who is partially blind, also had to walk to her polling station.
Their village is in Ward 4 under the Ngqushwa local municipality — Additional reporting by Bongani Fuzile/ simthandilef@dispatch.co.za/bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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