Former City of Joburg Council Speaker Colleen Makhubele who now leads the South African Rainbow Alliance is the latest contestant to cast a special vote in the 2024 national and presidential elections.
Makhubele voted at the Sandton Library in Johannesburg and said the moment gave her “goose bumps”.
Makhubele said her candidature is symbolic as a woman and should inspire young girls to know that they can do just about anything that their male counterparts do.
“This is the momentous occasion for SARA. I am actually getting goosebumps and tears, our first vote on our own logo, on our party. This is the first vote for the first female president in South Africa,” said Makhubele.
The former COPE member also took a swipe at the DA for banning the national flag in its election advert. “We are flying the South African flag high, while other parties are burning the flag, trampling on the flag as SARA we are rising it high,” she said.
SARA initially started as a pact of some ten parties but has been gripped by infighting since its formation in November and currently has only Makhubele and two smaller political parties.
Makhubele who was flanked by the party’s national chairperson expressed confidence the newly formed outfit can win 20 parliamentary seats in its debut election which she estimates would require around a million votes.
“Qe are aiming for 20 seats in the national assembly and as many as possible in Gauteng and Limpopo. It is very much possible. We were initially targeting sixty but as more parties fell off the alliance we revised our plans and agreed on a target of twenty seats, that is about a million votes,” she said.
SARA is on the national ballot as well as those of Limpopo and Gauteng.