Sipho Masondo | Citizens aren't as powerless as they think

The lesson that should be drawn from the e-tolls, and other sagas is that, even outside elections, citizens have staggering powers to hold politicians accountable, writes Sipho Masondo.

An air of excitement is hanging in the air in South Africa from the biggest of brightly lit cities to barely distinguishable villages as citizens prepare to vote in what political analysts predict to be a seminal election, capping three decades of democracy.

Following 30 years of one disappointment after another and many empty and unfulfilled promises by the ANC, many voters understandably feel it is time to evict the ruling party and install a new government in Pretoria.