Who is working on election day – and how are they voting?

Journalists covering the 2019 elections are not the only South Africans working on Wednesday.

Fin24 polled some other sectors to find out how they are approaching staff needs on election day.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut of the SA Police Service (SAPS) Western Cape Media Centre says police officers who have been called up for operational duty on election day applied to vote on May 6 and 7 – the two dates that were set aside for special votes. “Arrangements will be made on election day for members on duty who have not applied for special votes,” Traut told Fin24.

According to Mediclinic Southern Africa, due to the shift nature of its staffing model and the extended flexible hours provided by the polling stations, no specific arrangements have been necessary for its employees.

“We do not foresee any negative impact on the operations within our hospitals,” Mediclinic responded to Fin24.

A Netcare spokesperson told Fin24 that, as with previous elections, Netcare has asked management at all of its facilities to make special  arrangements to allow staff time off during the day to vote. Arrangements would have been made to do this in a manner that will suit operational needs.

“This arrangement has proven to work well in the past,” the spokesperson said.

The Shoprite Group told Fin24 that it respects the constitutional right of all South Africans to vote in the upcoming elections.

Scheduling of employees who work on May 8 has been done in a way that will allow them the opportunity to vote either in the morning before the start of their shift or in the afternoon when they have completed their shift.

According to Woolworths, their stores will be open for trade on Wednesday.

“We have adjusted our staffing schedules to allow our employees the opportunity to vote,” a company spokesperson told Fin24.

As for Pick ‘n Pay, it told Fin24 that it had made arrangements so that all staff would have the opportunity to vote, and there would be no disruptions to trade.

At the Sea Point fire station, Fin24 was told that fire fighters would simply go and vote either before or after their shift on Wednesday.

The Lite-Kem Pharmacy in Darling Street will still stay open until 23:00 as usual, and employees will go and vote depending on which of the three shifts they are working on Wednesday, Fin24 was told.

A waiter at the Birchwood Spur in Boksburg told Fin24 the restaurant will be open on Wednesday and, because the staff all work shifts, they will be able to go and vote either before or after work.