It was just last week Wednesday when a service delivery protest turned into a riot in Cape Town. The whole debacle may not have surprised you as this is just another day in South Africa. It’s safe to say that people have lost faith in the government and want change, but hurling faeces and creating havoc won’t make a difference. At the end of the day people will just get hurt – and the whole place will smell of sh#*. Instead of taking to the streets, let’s rather take to the polls. The place where you can have your say and make it count.

The 2014 elections may be the furthest thing on your mind right now but pretend that you have one of those gadget things that was on ‘Click ‘  the movie and fast forward to April next year. If voting is something you have on the agenda for the day or you’re already taking to Twitter #MyFirstTime, then you have to register this weekend. Yes, you read correctly in order to vote next year you have to register in this one.

Less that 50% of eligible voters under 30 are registered to vote but it’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is head down to your nearest voting station. Find yours here: http://maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder/  and fill out a form on 09 and 10 of November. Don’t forget to take your ID and make sure that you get there between 8am and 5pm. Home affairs officials will be there if you need to apply for a Temporary Identity Document.To double check if you’re already registered SMS your ID number to 32810. Remember that if  you have moved in the last 4 years you may have to re-register

By voting you get to walk around proudly with a line of ink on your thumb saying that you cared enough to vote for South Africa. To vote is not just exercising your democratic right but also your democratic responsibility.Democracy means freedom- so there is just one question for you: are you free or are you dom ?