Johannesburg - Former president Thabo Mbeki was among the South Africans who cast their special votes, on Tuesday, at his Johannesburg home.
The former president will later today leave for his trip to the World Economic Forum on African in Abuja, Nigeria, which will seek to find solutions to challenges of Africa's economic integration agenda.
“I was very glad that the IEC could agree that I could be able to do a special vote because this afternoon I leave to Nigeria for the World Economic Forum. Tomorrow I will address them (delegates) on illicit capital outflows from the continent. So I was very happy to have this arrangement,” the former president said, after casting his vote, which took him about a minute.
Before casting his vote, the two Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials could be heard explaining the process to him before marking his thumb with an ink, in full view of political party observers and Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau.
Asked who he voted for, the jolly former president said: “You are taking chances… I voted for you”.
He said the decision for whom to vote for was challenging and needed an intelligent decision.
“But still a choice has to be made … there is a very long list of parties, some of whom I have never heard of. But I think it is a good demonstration of the interest the country has on who should govern. So I think all of us need to go vote and take a decision of which party should govern South Africa.”
His message to South Africans for tomorrow’s fifth democratic national and provincial elections was – “go out and vote”.
Former president Mbeki said there are many outstanding heroes and heroines, like Nelson Mandela, who was in the struggle, to whom South Africans have an obligation to.
“We should always defend the rights that they fought for us to enjoy. We have an obligation to those thousands who died for this freedom.”
Nigeria trip
Turning to his trip to Nigeria – former president Mbeki said the disappearing of the more than 200 girls was painful, adding that it is important that they should be returned home to their parents.
“I believe we have to help solve the problem. We should not run away from the Nigerians because they are having problems but I think we should be with them,” he said.
About 200 girls from Chibok community in north eastern Nigeria's Borno State were abducted in April. The militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the act and threatened to sell the girls.
The country has also seen two bomb blasts in the last two weeks, claiming dozens of lives.
The Nigerian government has announced that as a security measure for the forum, all public sector workers should have a holiday for the three-days that the forum would take place to ensure that the traffic situation does not give way to any security risk.
South Africa will be represented by three ministers at the summit. The three ministers are Trade Minister Rob Davies, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Co-operative Governance Minister Lechesa Tsenoli. – SAnews.gov.za
