‘Voters must apply their minds. Do these parties give hope?’ – Mbeki

Former president Thabo Mbeki is urging South Africans to think carefully about who to vote for today, given the number of political parties on the ballot paper.

The former president took a walk from his home in Killarney to the Holy Family College, where he cast his vote. Mbeki came out and pledged his support to the ANC in recent weeks, having bitten his tongue over the last few elections which were led by then ANC president Jacob Zuma, who ousted him at the ANC’s Polokwane conference in 2007.

Mbeki was joined by Gauteng deputy chairperson Panyaza Lesufi.

When asked if voters would be making the right choice by voting for the ANC, the former president declined to comment, saying that the conversation would have to be suspended until after voting day.

“You know we are not allowed to campaign today, so you are asking me questions that amount to campaigning so I am not going to answer those questions. Tomorrow I am going to answer them. Is that okay?” he said.

“What I will say is that really everybody must go out to vote. The voters, I hope, are really applying their minds to this because [when] I was voting now I was looking at the numbers of people who are contesting. It is a very long list and in order to be able choose among all of these would require all of us to apply our minds and say what do these parties represent in terms of the future of the country? Do they give hope and all of that?

Read: ‘No coalition plans for ANC,’ Motlanthe says as he casts his vote

“I really do hope that people will apply their minds because the choice is very wide. It is very wide but I can’t campaign for any of the parties today because it is prohibited.”

Earlier today, former president Kgalema Motlanthe cast his vote alongside his wife Gugu Mtshali in Killarney and he threw his weight behind the ANC led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. In KwaZulu-Natal former president Jacob Zuma cast his vote and president Cyril Ramaphosa made his mark in Soweto.

Voting stations will be open until 9pm across the country.

	S'thembile Cele Journalist City Press p: +27 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: Sthembile.Cele@citypress.co.za
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