The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday when the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) suspended a strike planned for Friday.
“[SA] Municipal Workers’ Union, thank you very much,” IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said after a meeting with union representatives in Centurion on Tuesday.
“Convey this to workers and shop stewards … Yoh, we were so nervous, we were spending sleepless nights. Can you imagine an election taking place when there is a strike?” she asked.
The strike by 220 000 municipal workers — including some in the essential services — would have taken place just five days before South Africans head to the polls for local government elections.
Samwu suspended the strike after “late intervention” by the ANC.
Union leaders were in closed talks with the ANC and its alliance partner, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) most of Monday.
The ANC had undertaken to look into all Samwu’s concerns, said union spokesperson Tahir Sema.
Among other things, Samwu wants Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka sacked and the provincial government scrapped and its funds diverted to local government to improve service delivery.
The union demands that President Jacob Zuma not sign into law the Municipal Amendment Bill, that whistleblowers not be victimised and that members be given an 18% salary increase.
The unions present at Tuesday’s meeting included the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union, the Food and Allied Workers’ Union and the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA.
Bam told them to rally their members to vote on May 18.
Speaking on the satisfactory election climate and political tolerance, Bam said South Africans had become fearless.
“They know their rights, they talk, they articulate and they challenge. It’s a sign of growth and we are delighted that doesn’t come with violence,” she said.
“The climate we see, unless something happens, is a climate that we are so far happy about.”
The minor election incidents there had been this year were mainly the defacing of posters.
Bam said that as time went by, people might get used to idea that there was no need to tear down a poster which another opponent had the right to put up.
“Every elections is a learning curve for South Africa.”
The IEC said the 70,5-million ballot papers to be used in next week’s local government elections would contain security features to help deter tampering and reproduction.
This would be the first time local government election ballot papers would contain security features similar to those used in general elections, deputy chief electoral officer Mosotho Moepya said.
He said the ballot papers would be printed in colour this year, rather than the black and white used in previous local government elections, with additional print features on the reverse.
They would be printed in the format of a 1 000-page booklet.
Moepya said the IEC had maintained its good relationship with the law enforcement officials who would help it ensure that the ballot papers were safely transported in all 4 227 wards.
“We are trying to keep this election clean,” he said.
The elections will be contested by 121 parties.
Moepya said everything that needed to be done at this point had been done. — Sapa