Former president FW de Klerk believes things are not all doom and gloom in South Africa, and has backed President Cyril Ramaphosa to uplift the nation if the ruling party retains power.

De Klerk cast his vote in Sea Point, Cape Town, on a wet and rainy Wednesday morning.

In a very brief interview with the media outside the station, De Klerk acknowledged that many South Africans had been disappointed over the years, but they could be positive about the trajectory of the country.

“Everything is not dark in South Africa. There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

“If the ANC wins and President Ramaphosa keeps his promises, things will get better.”

The former president believs the ANC will win nationally, but that the DA will retain control in the Western Cape. He said he would vote for the party that best represented non-racialism, eNCA reported.

Former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma would also be casting their votes at different locations around the country.

Zuma was pictured earlier on Wednesday in Nkandla – where he resides – waiting in the queue at Ntolwane Primary School with his wife MaKhumalo.

Mbeki is due to vote at Holy Family College in Killarney in Gauteng at noon. Motlanthe also cast his vote in Killarney earlier on Wednesday.

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