President Cyril Ramaphosa has wished the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) well ahead of the National and Provincial Elections due to be held this week.
Special votes are to be administered on Monday and Tuesday with the general elections to be held on Wednesday.
Addressing the nation in a televised broadcast on Sunday evening, the President applauded the commission for its work in the run up to the elections.
“As a country, we have once again witnessed the capabilities of the IEC – in the successful voter registration weekends, in the registration of parties and candidates, in the preparation of ballot papers, in the organisation of overseas voting, and in the diligent application of our electoral laws.
“We convey our thanks and best wishes to the IEC commissioners, to the IEC staff and to the thousands of election workers as they deliver on this most important responsibility in the coming days,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President remarked that the defining feature of South Africa’s elections since the dawn of democracy in 1994 “has been their integrity…made possible not only by the work and conduct of the IEC, but also by the presence of party agents and independent observers”.
“The involvement of party agents gives people confidence that there is effective oversight of all aspects of the electoral process.
“Through the presence of local and international observers we are able to satisfy ourselves that our elections conform not only to our own laws, but also to internationally-accepted standards of freeness and fairness.
“We thank all the party agents and the election observers for the work they are doing, and reiterate that they must be allowed to do their work without any hindrance,” he said.
WATCH I President Ramaphosa’s address
President Ramaphosa emphasised the history attached to the right for all eligible South Africans to make their mark.
This right was hard won by liberation heroes and anti-apartheid activists who fought for South Africa’s democracy against a brutal apartheid state.
“This will be the seventh time that South Africans of all races, from all walks of life, from all corners of our country, will go to vote for national and provincial government. We will once again assert the fundamental principle, articulated in the Freedom Charter, that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people. In the days to come, we will be doing much more than exercising our Constitutional right to vote,” said the President.
He said citizens will be determining the direction that the country takes.
“I call upon all South Africans to go cast their votes. We are a diverse people, but a united nation. Let us be united in our commitment to our democracy,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
