In Khutsong residents enforced an election boycott by burning at least two houses belonging to known African National Congress activists.
During the day residents played soccer and generally stayed away from the polls, but at night rampaging youths stoned and burnt the houses of an ANC candidate and an ANC party agent.
Residents had woken up on election day to dozens of sirens from Nyala patrol trucks and a convoy carrying a heavy media presence. Eighteen polling stations were intended to cater for the township’s eight contested wards.
But by nightfall, only 300 of 30 000 registered voters had cast their votes. From the start of the day, and still in their nightgowns, residents crowded the barricaded streets strewn with tyre ash from the previous days of mayhem and violence, to put up more barricades and set light to even more tyres.
During the day, residents avoided the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) marquees and instead went about their daily chores. The community of Merafong had taken the decision not to vote in the municipal elections until the demarcation issue was resolved.
“Terror [Lekota, Minister of Defence] came here and said he will bring soldiers to Khutsong and that’s when people reacted,” said Anti-North West Committee and community leader Jomo Mogale. “The ANC said it doesn’t want a military state. Now why are they trying to create a military township?” he asked.
Elizabeth Moloantoa expressed her fears of voting, saying she did not want to fall victim to the community’s political wrath. “If you vote now, it’s safe because the police are here. But after they leave, you will have to tell the comrades why you are selling them out. Voting today is like committing suicide,” she said.
For unemployed Zameka Mangqu, people who voted deserved to have their houses torched and be expelled for betraying the community. “Those motherfuckers will burn. If we see anybody voting, we will burn them,” she said to a cheering group of residents. “It’s time we got rid of these shit councillors who drive around in big cars that were bought using our money. Bazonya [they’ll shit]!”
Dancing to wild cheers from community members, Albert Mamela burnt two tyres and said he would continue to burn them day and night until the government solved Khutsong’s demarcation issue.
The community, Mamela said, agreed not to engage in any violent protests on the day of the elections but he wanted to make sure that no one from the community voted. “There will be no votes in Khutsong and if the government insists, we are going to turn this township into another Afghanistan,” he said.