Your vote is your most precious right

The following is an excerpt from a recent press release issued by Helen Zille, Leader of the Democratic Alliance:

"In a democracy, people already have rights. They have the right to express themselves freely. They have the right to a basic level of services, including healthcare, education and housing.

If people don’t think that the government is delivering these rights, they have a right to vote them out of power. That is why, out of all the rights that come with a democracy, none is more important than the right to vote.

Your vote is your power to make a change in your life. It is your power to make sure that your government delivers.

It is up to you to make use of this right. If you do not claim your rights, nobody else will claim them for you.

It does not help to re-elect the same party in May and then join a protest march in August. By then it will be too late. You will have thrown away the power of your vote for another five years.

Your vote is your ticket to better service delivery. It is your weapon against corruption. It is a stepping stone on the path to a better life for all.

If you use it wisely on the 18 May you will be one step closer to the better life you were promised in 1994."