We must be proud that South Africans, old and young, rich and poor, exercised their right to choose their “representatives of the people” in their numbers on Wednesday.
We must be happy that despite the numerous challenges that caused delays in voting, many were steadfast in their determination, choosing to endure the elements late into the night so they could cast their votes.
It was, in a way, a sign that our democracy is maturing. It was a sign that most who have a right to vote were not wallowing in their woes or, with indignation, throwing their hands in the air. They insisted on being heard. That is what democracy is about. Every vote does indeed count.
But before all the votes are counted, we must pause and make a thorough examination of the cause of our challenges and ask ourselves what needs to be done so our challenges are not repeated when we get to the 2026 local government elections.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) uses a modest budget in comparison with big spenders in government and has been subject to perpetual underfunding. For these polls, many will remember the IEC was unable to sponsor a second registration weekend because of underfunding. The unfortunate outcome of this is several people were informed at the gates of voting stations, after having waited for hours, that they either could not vote or they could be given one ballot to cast their national vote only. Many felt the rights the constitution bestows on them were arbitrarily taken away. Voter education, given the increased interest among the youth, was not adequate.
We must celebrate that our elections attracted a significant number of young people. We must also appreciate our polls took place in an environment largely free of intimidation or violence. Lessons notwithstanding, our democracy won.
Three years ago the IEC was forced to conduct local government elections with a R35m budget cut and a further R769,749 cut was scheduled for the medium-term. The rationale then was the country was smarting from the Covid-19 pandemic and the turnout would be subdued. The IEC officials made a plan and the effects of its underfunding were also subdued.
Parliament’s home affairs portfolio committee chairperson Mosa Chabane said in May 2022: “While the committee is cognisant of the fiscal pressures facing South Africa, it believes underfunding this important pillar of democracy should be reconsidered to ensure democratic processes are not undercut. The unintended consequence of underfunding the IEC will have a practical impact in delivering elections that are free and fair.”
This followed a presentation in which the IEC told the committee that due to budget cuts it would be forced to “rewrite ICT business applications, candidate nomination, logistics information and results systems”. It said it would need to retrain staff and possibly reconfigure IEC local offices. On Wednesday we were all affected. To the extent that some could not risk their safety or subject themselves to the nippy weather and gave up on their right to vote, we ate away at the fundamental rights promised to each of us by the country’s supreme law. Women and students should not have been forced to make a plan about who was going to walk with them back to campus or their places of abode after voting late at night. It’s a burden they shouldn’t have to carry to exercise their rights.
It is true that no-one expected the IEC to conduct a glitch-free election. We have had to deal with gremlins in all our polls since the dawn of democracy. It is the extent to which the glitches become a hindrance to the exercise of political rights or they serve as discouragement for people to look forward to holding their representatives of the people accountable that we must pause and express worry.
The IEC said the turnout was also a contributory factor to the delays. We believe this must be dismissed. At the outset, many, especially in Rise Mzansi and the youth, said, “2024 is our 1994”, which meant they intended to go out in their numbers to participate. Why would the IEC encourage the 27-million registered voters to show up and then not be prepared when those voters showed up? This is not acceptable.
As a country, we must also be proud of the restraint displayed by our politicians, with EFF leader Julius Malema, who waited four hours to vote, expressing confidence in the electoral body. “The elections will be free and fair, there is nothing 100% in life. We must not, out of our own fear of losing elections, start casting aspersions on the IEC and its integrity. They've run elections successfully for so many years without a problem, so we shouldn't expect major problems.”
In the end, the challenges we faced on Wednesday teach us we tend to attend to problems when they manifest rather than at conception. The IEC warned us in time about the challenges we dealt with. Not many came to its defence. But with the manifestation of the challenge, it is likely to receive a proper hearing when it motivates for funding for the 2026 local government elections. This is unfortunate and should not be countenanced.
At the same time, we must celebrate that our elections attracted a significant number of young people. We must also appreciate our polls took place in an environment largely free of intimidation or violence. Lessons notwithstanding, our democracy won.
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