South Africans have made their choices at the 2024 national and provincial elections and their choices must be respected.
This is the message President Cyril Ramaphosa sent when accepting the final results of the elections by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Ramaphosa urged parties to heed the call made by voters, which he said was clear that they expected the different political parties to work together.
“Our people have spoken, whether we like it or not. As the leaders of political parties we have heard the voices of our people, and we must respect their wishes,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said this as his political party, the ANC, dipped below 50% support for the first time in 30 years.
His party received 40% of the total national vote, losing 71 seats in the National Assembly, from 230 to 159.
The DA came second with 87 seats, while new entrants — the MK Party — came third and attained 58 seats, overtaking the EFF, which received 39 seats.
The IFP has 17 seats, the Patriotic Alliance has nine, with the Freedom Front Plus and ActionSA achieving six seats each.
These results, Ramaphosa said, should be respected by all political parties.
“Now we are all called upon to recognise the results reflect the will of the people. What this election has made plain is that the people of South Africa expect their leaders to work together,” he said.
“We will always have different views, we will always have problems that we will raise. What our people expect of all of us is to work together to find solutions in a peaceful manner in accordance with our laws.”
He said parties must remember that the seats they had obtained in the National Assembly and provincial legislature did not belong to them but to the people.
The IEC announced the results and declared the 2024 national and provincial elections free and fair.
This is despite objections from at least 26 political parties that urged the IEC to delay the announcement of the results as there were many discrepancies.
The MK Party went as far as calling for a revote, threatening that the IEC’s decision to continue to announce the results might lead to violence across the country.
The IEC chair Mosotho Moepya said that the elections were a victory for the country.
“After carefully considering the extensive measures put in place and acknowledging the provisions of section 57.3 of the Electoral Act 1998, the Electoral Commission of South Africa declared the results of the 2024 national and provincial elections as free and fair,” he said.
“This moment is a triumph for our democracy, a victory for the principles of transparency. A measure that we can reflect on even as we take stock of accountability and the rule of law in our land. Let us celebrate this achievement while remaining vigilant, for the strengthening of democracy is one that truly never ends.
“Together we must continue to build a nation that serves as a beacon of hope, a shining example of what can be achieved when the power of the people is harnessed for the greater good.”
