Johannesburg - DA leader Mmusi Maimane was all smiles and jokes as he made his way to cast his vote in his Dobsonville, Soweto, neighbourhood.
"Don't show people my ID," Mmusi said to raucous laughter as he made his way to the Electoral Commission officers.
Solly Msimanga, the DA Gauteng premier candidate, who accompanied Maimane to the voting station, said he would not be voting in Dobsonville but in Pretoria.
"I'm here to make sure that he (Maimane) votes for me," Msimanga joked. "He'll also be there to make sure that I vote for him."
Maimane greeted officials who assisted him before proceeding to the voting booth, where he took long, eliciting murmurs of: "Why is he taking so long? Isn't he voting for himself?"
Speaking to the media after voting, Maimane said it was important to vote in Soweto with the people of Soweto as the area represents the home of the struggle.
"Now we're entering into a new struggle, a struggle for jobs for many South Africans. Therefore, I call upon the people of this country to come out in their numbers today.
"It's a historic moment in our nation as we transition again and I remember vividly playing on these streets and I remember too well the release of Nelson Mandela."
Maimane said they ran a very successful campaign.
#Elections2014 DA leader #MmusiMaimane speaking to the media after voting. @TheStar_news pic.twitter.com/ltLuL1lorX
— Botho Molosankwe (@Mizzyb1) May 8, 2019
He also said the DA was the only one that fought for non-racialism and said he was confident that South Africans would vote for the DA. "These elections will demonstrate that the DA is the only party that can grow in all communities.
"We're the only party that can grow in Sandton as we will in Alex. I can guarantee now that when polls are cast, you will see in every province a growth of the DA in communities people never thought the DA would grow in.
"We will prove that black people and white people want to work together. I'm not building a party for one race. I'm building a party for all races. The DA has been a party that represents all South Africans."
