Pretoria - After casting his vote shortly after 7am, President Kgalema Motlanthe appealed to South Africans to vote in the country's fourth democratic election.
"You can't improve any situation by staying away from it. If you have a vote and you don't use it, it will take five years [until the next election]," he told media after casting his vote at the Colbin voting station in Pretoria.
"It's an important opportunity and everyone must utlilise it."
The Colbin voting station has been erected in a residential area park. A steady queue of voters had started to form since early this morning.
The President said he hoped the voting process would go smoothly countrywide despite the cold weather predicted in some areas.
Describing his voting experience, Mr Motlanthe said: "It wasn't painful, I must say. It was simple and straightforward."
