- Residents in Centurion were still waiting to vote just before 22:00 on Monday.
- Voters expressed their frustration at the slow service at a polling station.
- A resident had to barge inside a tent looking for a presiding officer to update them on what was causing the delay.
Some disheartened would-be voters at a voting station in Centurion had to return home without casting their votes on Monday.
A voting tent at the corner of Rooihuiskraal and Rietspruit roads had snaking long queues way past 21:30.
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Some residents said they had been waiting for nearly three hours to cast their vote.
A man who identified himself only as Zack, said he had given up.
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"We tried doing the country duty, but unfortunately, we are not winning. We have early mornings, and I think the Monday situation did not work out as anticipated. Unfortunately, I have to go home to prepare for an early morning tomorrow [Tuesday]," he said.
Residents said it was the first time they had experienced such a long wait at a voting station.
Zack said:
Long-time residents said that in their experience of previous voting years - the 2019 national election being the most recent - 30 minutes was enough to get complete the process, but this was not the case on Monday.
Another resident told News24 that she first arrived at the station at 10:00, and there was a queue. So she decided to return home, hoping that she would find fewer voters at the station in the evening.
But before 21:00, she was still at the tail-end of a line where young and old were waiting patiently to cast their ballots.
Residents blamed IEC officials at the station for being ill-prepared.
Driven by frustration as the clock inched toward 22:00, a woman decided to go in search of a presiding officer.
The resident slammed what she claimed was poor communication from IEC officials, who were not updating them on why the lines were moving slowly.
People had to park their vehicles in the middle of the street, and when they arrived at the queue they had to switch on their cellphone flashlights as the lighting was poor.
Another resident said she had lived in the area for eight years, but never experienced delays on voting days.
She added that what confused her was that there was also another station in the area, and its lines were moving faster. It was also not as packed.
"I suspect these (voters) are all the people who don't come from here. Why they are coming to vote here, I don't know. There are no lights, and there are two toilets.
"For me, it's poor planning. They literally have the [statistics] of people who live here. They could have had a third voting station [in the area]. But I also noticed that cars are coming from the Midrand side, and that's why things are like this," she said.
Nthovhe Nthambeleni was at the station from around 18:00. By 21:30, he was still waiting for his turn to vote. But unlike those who were leaving, he said he was not giving up until he cast his vote.
Nthambeleni said:
Shane Perumal said he also believed the delays were due to poor planning from the IEC. He eventually cast his vote just before 21:00, after arriving at around 19:00.
Perumal also added that his previous voting experience at the station was smooth, and that he did not wait long.
"In fact, I think the last two times [I waited] for under 40 minutes and never two and a half hours," he said.
Stay updated with News24's latest coverage, opinion and analysis of Elections 2021. Check out results from the previous municipal elections.
