/ 16 May 2014

Parliamentary candidates represent SA’s diversity

Parliamentary Candidates Represent Sa's Diversity

The lists of names of party representatives for Parliament and provincial legislatures represent the country’s diversity, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chair Pansy Tlakula said on Friday.

“The candidates represent our diverse cultures, languages, gender representation, and so on,” she said at a ceremony to hand over the lists to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

“Of these candidates, approximately 42% of them are women, with the oldest being 85 years old and the youngest 22. The average age of the representatives is 50.”

Katlego Phala, the 22-year-old representative, would be in the Limpopo legislature, she said.

Tlakula handed over a list of 830 representatives for Parliament and provincial legislatures.

She said the handing over of the lists indicated that the IEC of South Africa had come to the end of the 2014 general elections process.

“Our message to them [the representatives] is to serve the next five years with pride and honesty,” she said.

Inauguration
Mogoeng said the work of Parliament and provincial legislatures would not be possible without the swearing in and inauguration performed by judicial officials.

“In the absence of the lists, the chief justice would not be able to usher in the inauguration in Parliament and the inauguration of the president,” he said.

Although dissatisfied South Africans staged widespread protests, they did go to the polls.

“Their participation in the voting process showed they embraced the opportunity to exercise their hard-earned right to vote, and voted for whoever they preferred,” Mogoeng said.

He handed the list to deputy secretary to Parliament Baby Tyawa.

The National Assembly representatives will be sworn in on May 21 and those in the National Council of Provinces on May 22, Tyawa said. – Sapa