Celani Sikhakhane
After serious campaign trails from different political parties urging communities to vote, huge swathes of people still chose taverns over voting stations on Monday.
This is one reason for the poor turnout at many voting stations in the King Cetshwayo district, where most polling stations went unused for long parts of the day.
Many of those who were not at taverns chose to use the free public holiday to do their house chores, while others went to the car washes to get their cars cleaned.
In Melmoth under the uMlalazi local municipality, a voting station in one of the busiest areas, only 80 people voted even though 480 people registered.
Most people were singing joyously in different shebeens at around 5pm and others told the Scrolla.Africa team that they would cast their votes later.
Community leader of Ndundulu voting station under Ntembeni tribal authority, Nkosinathi Ndlela, told Scrolla.Africa that alcohol was the most disturbing factor in their area.
“When people get drunk they will start being violent and unable to politically tolerate each other. We have a problem as you can see here. I’m not even sure if they will be able to cast their vote correctly because they are no longer in their senses,” said Ndlela.
At another voting station in uMlalazi, one IEC officer raised concerns about the dominance of alcohol during this particular day.
“Some of the voters are not controllable and you can see that some political party leaders are dishing alcohol to these people. The problem is that they start to misbehave towards each other,” said the officer who did not want to be named.
On the R66 towards ULundi and Vryheid in Zululand District, people were driving recklessly with alcohol in their hands.
In ULundi many voting stations had the same problem of voters who were heavily drunk.
The Nkonjeni voting station in Mahlabathini, where former IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi voted, had a positive turnout according to IEC officials.
