What kept all but one voter away in Ga-Chokoe by late afternoon?
MOKOPANE — A dispute over which ward should represent Ga-Chokoe left Mahlora Primary School in Limpopo without voters for much of election day. In a 4.11pm report on Wednesday, SABC News identified Nare Chokoe as the only one of the village’s 510 registered voters to have cast a ballot by then. Residents who boycotted the poll said their village had been moved from Ward 3 to Ward 6 in Mogalakwena Local Municipality without adequate consultation.
The boundary change kept Ga-Chokoe in the same municipality but changed which ward councillor would represent its residents. Some residents questioned whether the candidates standing in the new ward would represent the village’s interests. Mogalakwena mayor Ngoako Taueatsoala had acknowledged the dispute during special voting, when residents were already protesting the move to Ward 6.
The protest began before election day
Residents had also boycotted the final voter registration weekend. At the time, community members told SABC News that they objected to how the new boundaries had been introduced. The Ga-Chokoe Tribal Authority said residents had made their own decision to stay away and that it had not influenced them.
Limpopo provincial electoral officer Nkaro Mateta raised a separate concern about that registration period. She said the Electoral Commission had received reports of threats against some voters and that nobody had come forward over the two days to register or check their details. Her account concerned the registration weekend. On election day itself, the SABC confirmed that at least one resident had voted. A final turnout figure for Mahlora Primary School could not be verified at the time of publication.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za or drop a tip.