Desmond Tutu casts his special vote. (Supplied, Benny Gool)
"Thank you for coming," Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said as he blew a kiss at members of the media waiting to capture the moment he cast his special vote in Cape Town on Monday.
Walking with a stoop and holding a cane, the 87-year-old cleric and anti-apartheid activist waved and smiled while the sun was shining on his face.
He and wife Leah exercised their right to cast a special vote at home. The special arrangement has been afforded to the elderly, ill or those who are unable to go to one of the voting stations on voting day.
Tutu, originally from Klerksdorp, is spending his retirement in the Western Cape.
DA Ward 4 councillor Mlulami Ngeyi, who accompanied the IEC delegation to the home, said the Tutus were in a good mood.
"It went well. He's [grown] old and needs to take his time.
"They were nice, as usual," he smiled.
Many others will cast their special votes today, including various government ministers and officials deployed on election day.
Voting stations for the rest of South Africa open on Wednesday.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu greets the IEC and the media as he prepares to cast his special vote. (Jenni Evans, News24)
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah cast special votes ahead of the 2019 general elections. (Supplied, Benny Gool)