Voting at the town hall in Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal, turned into a meat-and-greet on Wednesday as residents lining up to vote in South Africa’s 2011 municipal elections were met with competing political choruses — and boerewors rolls.
With president Jacob Zuma due to pop in at the voting station on Wednesday afternoon the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) — which runs the municipality — was embroiled in a sing-off with supporters of their traditional opponents, the African National Congress (ANC).
Political songs were exchanged at high volume, with the IFP upping the ante of the outdoor-festival vibe by serving up mini boerewors rolls to punters from its own braai set-up.
Whether the size of the sausage matters to voters in Eshowe will only become evident once the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) starts tallying up the votes after the 7pm cut-off time this evening.
It wasn’t just boerewors — Zuma himself was on a roll. When he arrived he was welcomed with rapturous cheering and singing of his trademark Mshini Wami. People appeared in awe of his presence.
After Zuma had toured the voting station, chatting amiably with IEC volunteers, he was accosted by Stan Larkan, the IFP mayor of Eshowe, on the steps of the town hall.
Larkan attempted to engage Zuma in what appeared to be a grope session, but succeeded only in grabbing the president’s hand and holding it aloft: a sign that the IFP had conceded defeat in the Battle of the Wors at Eshowe?
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