Month: October 2021

At least 80% of voters who had applied for special votes cast their ballot at their voting stations over the weekend.

This is according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chairperson, Glen Mashinini, who was briefing the media on the eve of the Local Government Elections, due to be held on Monday.

Mashinini said the commission expects to have visited all those who applied for home voting by the end of Sunday, which will add to the to the high turnout at the polling stations during the special voting process.

“While we are pleased as the commission with the turnout over the past two days, the commission wishes to point out that voters who were unable to cast their special vote for whatever reason may still vote at their voting station [on Monday].”

Mashini said the two days of special votes offered valuable lessons in how best to execute elections.

“The two days of special votes have also offered us as the commission insights that we now believe will enable us to refine our operations to positively impact the voter experience that we expect [for] South Africans, who will be coming out in their large numbers to cast their votes.

“Therefore, we urge the 26.2 million compatriots who are eligible to come out and cast their votes at their respective voting stations,” he said.

Turning to matters related to Election Day itself, Mashinini reminded voters that voting stations will open at 7am and close at 9pm but those still standing in line beyond the cut-off time will be allowed to cast their ballot.

“It is important to emphasise that the eligible voters who will be at the voting station at 21:00 in the queues will not be turned away. The commission wishes to remind all the eligible voters that voters must vote where they are registered.

“Further, you must be in possession of a valid South African identity document. Home Affairs offices are open [on Monday] to allow voters to collect their IDs, as well to apply for the temporary voting certificates,” he said.

Mashinini said the details of some 140 000 voters could not be captured before the voters’ roll was closed.

He said those voters will also be given an opportunity to participate in the elections.

“These voters will be permitted to vote as though their details were on the voters’ roll segment of the voting district in which they present themselves. This arrangement is authorised in terms of…[the] Municipal Election Act, which allows for a voter to be allowed to vote on presenting proof that they had applied for registration before the proclamation of an election,” he said.

Addressing reports of possible inclement weather for some parts of the country that may hinder voting, Mashinini assured that measures and plans are in place to ensure that voters are not left stranded.

“The necessary steps have been taken to manage the potential negative effect of the inclement weather on the voting and counting processes. In cases where tents are blown away or there’s a disruption with the voting stations, the commission wishes to assure that plans and contingency plans have been put in place to… have those stations re-erected or to speedily ensure that we are able to proceed besides those possible disruptions,” he said.

The IEC chairperson said the commission has worked with stakeholders from across the board in preparing for the elections, and that the commission has done “everything in its power” to deliver free and fair elections.

“All systems are good for Election Day. It is time now for all of us to work together to make sure that these elections are free and fair and safe, and that the outcome – as it should be – will reflect the will of the South African electorate.”

Source: South African Government News Agency

Parliament has urged all eligible and registered South Africans to honour those who fought for the right to vote by participating in the Local Government Elections on Monday.

At least 26 million South Africans are registered to vote in the elections ,which will determine their representatives in more than 250 municipal councils in the country.

In a statement, Parliament’s presiding officers, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces, Chairperson Amos Masondo, highlighted that the right to vote and participate in democratic elections was not always afforded to all South Africans.

“We owe it to the many heroes and heroines who fought for freedom and democracy in South Africa, as well as to future generations who should inherit a well-functioning and viable system of local government.

“The best way to honour their sacrifices is to exercise our hard earned right to vote peacefully and in a dignified manner,” the presiding officers said.

Mapisa-Nqakula and Masondo reminded South Africans that local councils are at the forefront of the provision of service delivery such as water, electricity and housing.

Therefore, they said, participation in the local government elections has an impact on how these services are delivered directly to South African homes.

“It is your basic responsibility under the Constitution to participate and determine how you are governed and ensure quality service delivery. The Local Government Elections present us with an opportunity to elect leaders that will represent the people in the local sphere of government for the next five years.

“By participating in these elections, we will be choosing people to lead in the provision of crucial basic services. We need to always claim our constitutional right to determine and influence how we are governed and hold accountable those we elect.”

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa says citizens have the power to make local government stronger through their vote.

He was addressing the nation in a recorded message ahead of the Local Government Elections, which will be held on Monday.

South Africans will head to the polls tomorrow in what the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has called the most contested Local Government Elections in history.

“Local Government Elections are about the issues that matter to all of us: housing, electricity, water, sanitation and decent roads. We all want to get better services.

“We all want to have decent, sustainable work. We all want to see our businesses grow and for our communities to thrive. This can only happen if local government is strong,” President Ramaphosa said.

He called on each South African to exercise their “constitutional responsibility as a citizen to build our democracy” through casting their ballot.

“I call on each and every South African who is registered… to go out [on Monday] and vote for the candidate and the party of your choice. Your vote counts. Every single vote counts.

“With your vote, you are building a better South Africa, a South Africa with strong, well run and effective municipalities that can improve the lives of every citizen,” he said.

The President said voting is not the only way South Africans can make a difference.

“You can also make a difference by visiting one of the hundreds of COVID-19 vaccination stations that will be in operation at voting stations around the country,” President Ramaphosa said.

Voting stations are expected to open at 7am to 9pm on Monday.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Police Minister Bheki Cele has instructed the South African Police Service to make sure that they defend the right of every South African to cast their vote in the Local Government Elections, which will be held on Monday.

The Minister was speaking at the deployment parade of police officers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday.

This comes as at least eight voting stations could not open for special votes on Saturday due to protests in that province.

“South Africans all have the right to protest but that right is limited. Your freedom of protest should not interfere with the next person. Therefore, if people say they don’t want to go and vote… that’s fine but they can’t say they are not going to vote and stop other people from going to vote.

“Therefore, stations will have to be opened, roads will have to be open, burning tyres will have to be doused off… Make sure that you assist South Africans… and take away any form of hurdle that wants to stop a South African from going to vote,” the Minister said.

Cele said that the at least 10 000 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers who will be joining police officers for extra security will not be deployed at voting stations.

“Our members of the [SANDF] will work on… critical infrastructure like ports and national roads, especially those plazas where people use trucks to block the national roads, the power stations and all others that are supposed to be national key points,” he said.

The Minister said police will be working more closely with the IEC to “protect the stations and help the IEC to make sure that [voting] stations are opened”.

Political violence

Cele told police officers that KwaZulu-Natal in particular is important to secure, as it has seen political killings across the political spectrum in the past.

A total of 119 hotspots have been identified by government’s security forces in KwaZulu-Natal alone.

“You are in a province where you have to be doubly vigilant and in your double vigilance, you must make sure you stay out of politics and do your job. Your job is defined in the Constitution… what you do is to protect, combat and investigate [crime].

“Make sure that you come to policing and not politics, and ensure the safety and protection of all people across the board,” he said.

He warned officers to execute their duties within the confines of the law.

“You, as police officers, need to uphold the law and enforce the law. It’s important that you keep elections safe, you keep the movement of [electoral] material safe and you keep the outcomes safe, with the integrity that they deserve”.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it is satisfied with the first day of special voting in the country, despite reports of protests at some voting stations and other challenges.

The special votes are being cast at voting stations and through home visits throughout the country.

Over a million eligible South Africans registered for special votes, which will close on Sunday evening.

“Given the record scale of the 2021 Municipal Elections, the Electoral Commission is highly satisfied with the start of special voting. Besides offering voters who cannot vote at the voting stations on [Monday] an opportunity to participate, special votes also provide the commission with an opportunity to identify and resolve any challenges ahead of the election,” Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said on Saturday.

Mamabolo reported that at least eight voting stations could not open in KwaZulu-Natal, where community members were protesting.

He said although protesting remains a right, communities should not to interfere with the right of others to cast their ballots.

“Those voting stations have to open and will open because there are people in those communities who have applied for special votes and those people are entitled – like all citizens – a right to participate in the elections.

“Working together with the security agencies, we should be able to get voting going in those areas,” he said.

In another snag to the commission’s operations, some landlords where IEC operations are being housed reneged on their contracts with the commission, causing a delay in the opening of voting stations.

Mamabolo said this would be given attention but no legal action will be taken.

“The important thing and our primary focus at the moment is to get operations going, and to get alternatives so that we are not disrupted. It’s an isolated incident and our focus is to re-establish operations and to get going with electoral operations,” he said.

Election Day voter turnout

Turning to the issue of voter turnout on Monday, considering that it is a long weekend in the country, Mamabolo appealed to South Africans to turn up in their numbers at polling stations to exercise their civic duty.

“This may be a long weekend and people may have travelled. Our call is that if you have travelled, please do come back to your voting station on time because you won’t be able to vote anywhere else than in the voting district that you are registered.

“We want to encourage them to come back and take advantage of the facilities that we have availed for them to take part in shaping the local affairs of their communities,” he said.

Results Operations Centre

On Saturday evening, the IEC’s Results Operations Centre was evacuated following a loss of electrical power at the centre.

The commission confirmed the incident but denied reports that a fire had broken out.

“We confirm a power failure at the National Results Operations Centre in Tshwane this evening as a result of a faulty transformer. The centre was evacuated for safety, with emergency services on standby. There are no ballots or election materials on site,” the commission said.

The centre was reopened on Sunday morning.

Source: South African Government News Agency

POTCHEFSTROOM – Three suspects, a female, aged 32 and two males (both aged 27) were arrested in Orkney on Saturday morning, 30 October 2021, after close to 40kg of dagga was found in the boot of their vehicle. They will be appearing before the Orkney Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 02 November 2021 on a charge of dealing in dagga.

It is alleged that the trio were stopped at a roadblock on the R30 road, between Orkney and the Vaal River (towards Bothaville). Whilst searching the vehicle, a total of 15 black bags containing 39,1 kg dagga with estimated street value of R117 300.00 were found in the boot of their vehicle. They were immediately arrested for dealing in dagga.

The Provincial Commissioner applauded the Illicit Mining Task Team for their vigilance and hard work that led to this success.

Source: South African Police Service