Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
I imagine Jacob Zuma would be on the list. Maybe Jackie Selebi. The odd Miss South Africa if anyone could remember their names. Judge Motata who claimed to have had “a cup of tea” before crashing his car through a wall and swearing at the bystanders? Anyone admitting to working in a Home Affairs Office. And, of course, the presenters of Top Billing. Who else?
UPDATE: This story seems to be true as it is being reported on several Internet sites.