Masiya Soya

In the end, the writing is on the wall—properly displayed in percentages. It begs the obvious question: what is it about YOU that produced this performance? Why is it that you have lost almost half of your vote share? Yes, YOU! As I have said before, go argue with the wall. As for me, I did abstain. A deliberate, conscientious abstention. The right to abstain is not limited to parliament or council sessions. It is very much constitutional, and available to all citizens—especially those who DO register to vote! That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure! Voting MUST NEVER be a conscription; it is a right that comes with responsibility—one that can’t be deployed without conscience. Above all, NO ONE is entitled to people's votes. VOTES are earned, just like respect. To say otherwise is the gospel according to dictators. How else can we explain that Mandela campaigned in 1994 and lost both KZN and Western Cape, yet Mbeki won both 10 years later? They earned the votes through results on the ground by improving the living standards of our people. They were NOT ENTITLED to them! Those who protest by deliberately not voting or deliberately spoiling their vote are exercising as sacred a right as the right to vote! A true revolutionary should know that, and would listen to them, for they too have registered a view! It is in line with this spirit—the letter of which is in the Constitution, that 'every citizen is free to make political choices'—that Ronnie Kasrils, alongside Barney Pityana and others, in 2014 called on people to protest by spoiling their vote. I’m sure you’ll agree, these are stalwarts of the anti-apartheid movement. They understood that no one—NOT even their own comrades—is ENTITLED to votes. But first, go to the wall, brother. There, the measure of your weight is fully determined."