Pretoria – Government has thanked South Africans for casting their votes on Wednesday in what it has described as a successful 2014 General Election.
“Government thanks the millions of South Africans who have voted in the country’s fifth democratic elections. We appreciate the tolerance, dignity and patience with which voters conducted themselves as they waited to cast their vote,” said the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on Thursday.
Government said this was a demonstration of active citizenship and patriotism, which had also been visible on 30 April 2014, when thousands of people cast special votes at 116 South African missions abroad.
It thanked those officials who worked hard to ensure the success of the elections.
“Government would like to congratulate security agencies and other government departments for their hard work and dedication over the past few months which ensured mostly incident free elections. The security measures contributed greatly to elections which were peaceful and conducted in a spirit of democracy.
“The work of Home Affairs officials has also not gone unnoticed. Three hundred and thirteen (313) Home Affairs offices across the country opened their doors at 7am on election day to assist the public with enabling documents, so that they were able to exercise their democratic right to vote.
“Although the work of the Independent Electorate Commission continues, we congratulate this institution for the smooth running of the 2014 General Elections. We also thank domestic and international observer missions for the monitoring of our electoral process,” it said.
Government said it acknowledges the positive spirit in which the political parties conducted themselves during the elections, calling it an indication of our maturity as a democracy.
It further appreciated the comprehensive coverage of the elections by the national and international media, and affirmed the positive role of the media in strengthening and enhancing democracy.
Acting GCIS CEO Phumla Williams said: “The 2014 General Elections were another milestone in our country’s democratic history. Thank you, South Africa, for keeping our democracy strong and vibrant by casting your vote.”
Today the attention of the nation has turned to the IEC’s National Results Centre in Pretoria, where the votes are being counted. So far over 44 percent of the votes have been counted. – SAnews.gov.za
