Of the many things puzzling the army of 200 African observers to South Africa’s third democratic election, the most exasperating is why the media of this country complain about it being boring.
Without exception, the politicians, officials, academics and clerics from at least 25 African countries would give their eye teeth for a little of the ordinariness from which South Africa is apparently suffering.
Better than most, they know that having your country in the financial or sporting headlines spells happiness, but making the front pages invariably means disaster.
Observing South Africans’ two previous trips to the polls in 1994 and 1999, the Africans were outnumbered by delegations from international organisations and NGOs from the developed world.
This time the think tanks have decided to save their money for more interesting polls — and Africa is offering at least a dozen this year — and the United Nations, European Union and Commonwealth have all said South Africans voters have no need of them.
The African observers aspire to a similar vote of confidence from the world’s major players and smile that many South Africans perceive the observers’ stay away as a slight. Philemon Kamine, CEO of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, would be over the moon at such an endorsement for his country’s third presidential and parliamentary election since independence, due in November.
The dates were announced in Windhoek while Kamine and his five compatriots were looking at voters forming long queues in Hammanskraal, Eersterus, Sandton and Soweto.
“It is very important that we came here because this election is of great significance not only to South Africa but also for the whole of Africa,” he said as the polls closed on Wednesday night and the counting started.
“As election commissioners in Namibia we can reap great benefit from seeing what our neighbours do to successfully set up, organise and manage an election. We are very impressed at the way the population was prepared for this election. We saw long queues with people patiently waiting. From what we observed, we are sure these elections have been free and fair.”
Bishop Simeon Nzishura, who heads Burundi’s Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, came with a dual task. He led the six-man delegation from the Great Lakes state that has lost more than 300 000 people in a decade of civil war.
“What really surprised is the way that the people voted in peace. Blacks and white stood in the same lines without any signs of quarrelling. What a good example this is to Burundians, who are torn by ethnic violence,” he said.
The bishop’s second task is to beef up South African support for the transitional process in Burundi that should lead to elections in November.
“This remains very doubtful because the Forces for National Liberation is still fighting,” he said.
At government level Deputy President Jacob Zuma continues to play point man for the African mediation efforts. The bishop wants South Africa’s efforts to extend beyond this to church and NGO level.
“We need to be trained in conflict resolution and political problem solving. We remain too divided. Even the churchmen are divided along Hutu Tutsi lines. Church people in South Africa could help to break this down.
“We really need the South African and Burundi government to work together to challenge church leaders in the way the Nelson Mandela did in the run-up to the Arusha Agreement,” Nzishura said, referring to the 2001 agreement that triggered off the three-year transitional arrangement.