Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe, who voted at Zandile Pre-School in KwaDwesi on Wednesday, said she hoped an ANC victory in the local government elections would help attract more investment to the city and create jobs.
Meanwhile, residents at the voting station said they wanted the next administration to address everyday challenges, including potholes and crime.
Voter turnout appeared slow at Zandile Pre-School and the Ethiopian Church voting stations in KwaDwesi, with few queues at the time of going to print.
The Ethiopian Church voting station had 3,885 registered voters, with more than 1,000 having cast their ballots before 10am.
Taxi driver Lichule Mbelu, 31, from KwaDwesi, said he expected more voters to arrive at Zandile Pre-School from about 10am.
Excited to have cast his vote, Mbelu said voting had helped him access higher education through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), motivating him to participate in the local government elections.
"Crime is a challenge in our community. I believe, no matter which party wins, they will help to minimise or bring an end to crime," he said.
Selina Dolopu, 69, from KwaDwesi, who walks with a crutch, said she hoped God would bless her with more years so she could witness the next elections.
She said she had voted in the hope that the city's pothole problems would finally be addressed.
Nonceba Mtombeni, 73, was accompanied by her nine-year-old niece, Sikhanyiso Mtombeni, to the Zandile Pre-School station.
She said she wanted to teach her niece the importance of making her voice heard through voting.
"She eagerly kept asking me if I was going to cast my vote because she had heard all the news about the local government elections and wanted to see what the voting process looked like," Mtombeni said.
"I brought her along because I wanted her to learn that a person should speak for themselves and not rely on other people's voices."
Lobishe, who arrived in ANC-branded clothing, was met by supporters of other political parties who shouted that she should pay back the transformer money as she walked alongside 94-year-old Irene Krokrani.
She said she was proudly voting for the ANC and hoped that, if the party retained power, it would bring more investment to the city.
"We hope to attract more investment to the city, which would create more jobs," Lobishe said.
"We are also going to install more electricity networks in the city. Remember, we passed resolutions for a data centre, which should feed into our energy stream.
"We want to leverage that to ensure sustainability of electricity supply."
The Herald