Mandela to vote at home on Monday

Former president Nelson Mandela will cast a special vote at his Houghton home, north of Johannesburg, on Monday, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said.

“It is a special vote,” said IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela.

Mandela (92) was under medical supervision at home after being hospitalised in February with a respiratory infection.

On Friday his daughter Zenani Dlamini said, “We of course know where his historical allegiance lies, but casting his vote is a private matter, just as it is for any other citizen of our country.”

Bapela said former president Thabo Mbeki also applied for a special vote. SABC radio news said he would go to a voting station in Killarney, Johannesburg, on Monday morning.

Bapela said she did not know why Mbeki would not be able to vote on election day on Wednesday.—Sapa