The violent protests in Khutsong prior to the municipal elections on March 1 are an exception and not the rule, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Brigalia Bam said on Wednesday.
”When people see the situation in Khutsong, they assume it’s happening in all the 280 municipalities,” Bam said at the opening of the IEC’s 12 000-square-metre national operations centre in Pretoria. ”We have less of what we call flashpoints.”
Bam said the situation in the country is conducive to conducting elections, and that anger and dissatisfaction only occur in ”isolated parts” of South Africa.
”This country has never gone into elections without challenges. The situation is not peculiar to South Africa.”
She said men and women of goodwill are hard at work to ensure the challenges are overcome and that elections will continue.
The Merafong community, under which Khutsong falls, opposes being incorporated into North West province from Gauteng. Residents have held violent protests in the months leading up to the elections against the move.
The community filed a motion at the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, asking that the election in its area be postponed. The case will be heard on Saturday.
There are 127 parties contesting the election, a 79% increase from the 2004 national elections, Bam said.
Countrywide there are 45 189 candidates, which is a 50% increase from the number of participants in the last municipal elections in 2000. Bam said she hopes a significant number of these are women and urged political parties to put forward more women as mayors.
Bam thanked government departments, including home affairs and education, for providing infrastructure such as schools that are being used as voting stations. She also thanked civil society, business, trade unions and the youth for their interest and support of the elections.
Bam said should floods occur in some areas, the military will be asked to assist.
Chief electoral officer Pansy Tlakula said in a week’s time 19 000 voting stations will open at 7am around the country and an estimated 23-million South Africans will set off to vote.
The centres will close at 7pm and convert into counting stations. The IEC has printed 4 200 different ballot papers for the various wards, metropolitan and district councils.
”Counting will take place at the voting stations unless the commission decides otherwise in the interests of free and fair elections, that it should be done at another voting station,” said Tlakula.
Political parties will be free to observe the counting process. The results will be audited by 620 auditors from an independent company at each point of capturing results.
The final election results will be announced within seven days of the election date, Tlakula said. — Sapa