Last minute rushes and filled up stadia
It was a weekend of filled stadia and final messages to the country's masses. For on Wednesday we go to the polls, in what has been described as the most contested elections since the nineties.
Every election offers its own uniqueness or quirks.
This time around it was the "fill up a stadium" phenomenon. I suspect it is a uniquely South African one.
From Cassper Nyovest to our political elite - it's quite a feat to do just that. Such is the obsession among top political parties - that each and every one staked its claim to fill some or other stadium during the time allocated for electioneering. It's a show of force.
But more than that - it sends a strong message to political opponents. This tactic can however turn on you and lead to embarrassment if not executed well.
Take the ANC for instance when the party failed to bring the numbers at its Manifesto Launch in the Eastern Cape. It takes a while for the media and everyone else to move away from an embarrassment like that. Enter the EFF, who then filled Orlando Stadium.
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Then came the ANC in Gauteng through its Provincial Chairperson, Paul Mashatile promising to fill up the FNB stadium for that province's manifesto launch. Many thought that this was a particularly great ask - given the party's more recent struggles between the province and its national leaders.
It's even more pertinent when considering this quote by ANC NEC member Nomvula Mokonyane - "The ANC has been bleeding votes, I am very worried at how we are losing support from the masses on the ground. Our own petty factional battles have resulted in this mess we find ourselves under today. We are too focused on fighting with one another than actually resolving the problems facing our people."
Consider also the fact that Gauteng was the only province to - in the midst of making sense of the Constitutional Court ruling on Nkandla, asked number one to "reflect and do the right thing."
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But despite this, ANC support is clear across the country. Its massive Siyanqoba Rally cutting across 6 stadiums - brought in the numbers this weekend. The EFF packed the Peter Mokaba stadium, while the DA filled Dobsonville stadium in Soweto.
It's been entertaining to watch and listen as political parties set themselves these targets of drawing the numbers and making the unavoidable promises before election day. Now it's time to move on to the serious business- and you and I deciding where to make our mark. We are completely in control. I'm of course looking forward to election day, but I will sure miss the stadia gatherings. Until next time, that is.