IEC declares free and fair elections

It is such a pleasure for me to speak to the people of Umtshezi and the surrounding areas, exactly 20 years after we held our first historic elections that ushered in our new democracy in 1994.
As we have done over the years today I hereby announce the official results for the national and provincial elections held on May 7 for the voters of Umtshezi Municipality.
Historically, it is a tradition of the commission since 1999 to establish the result facility at national and provincial levels and now we have moved to local level as we had one.
Context of this year’s elections
As usual, we are honoured yet humbled at the presence of many international and local observers, visitors, members of the diplomatic corps and media personnel during elections. Yet, it will probably be amiss for us not to highlight the context of our elections and situate it within a wider continental perspective.
Simply put, as a component part of the African continent, South Africa’s elections should be viewed in a wider continental perspective; because our success as Umtshezi is the success of the District (DC23) and the KwaZulu-Natal province inasmuch as our failure will be seen as such.
In addition, these Umtshezi results will be adding to South Africa’s slowly emerging tradition of resolving political contestations or conflict peacefully through the ballot box and not through violence.
Increasingly, Umtshezi Municipal residents are taking this democratic route to resolve the municipality’s constant struggles for economic resources and political power. Therefore, we are always happy whenever successful elections are held in any part of our municipality as this suggests that the democratisation process is slowly taking root throughout the municipality.
For us in Umtshezi, each election we hold constantly reminds us of our original commitment to the ideals and cardinal principles of democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, of association, human dignity, and the right to vote in a democratic election.
Furthermore, they remind us of the right to form a political party of one’s choice, the right to stand for election or to be elected to public office; and the importance of free and fair, credible elections that are not marred by violence, political intimidation or any kind of conflict.
This commitment also pertains to the ideals of building a new nation that would take its place among the free nations of the world; as well as commitment to peace building, reconciliation and contributing to a sustainable and just world order.
We enter this year’s national and provincial elections being particularly encouraged by the dramatic increases in the number of parties, voters, and increased public participation in electoral democracy as shown by the large numbers in our voters roll and registered political parties. For us in the Umtshezi, these increases signal one thing for us: that our country’s democracy is maturing.
Climate conducive to free and fair elections
As the Municipal Electoral Officer, I am very happy to announce that the elections of May 7 were FREE and FAIR. These elections were conducted in an atmosphere that is conducive to democratic, peaceful, free and fair electoral practices.
This was in line with our country’s electoral laws, constitution and international best practices.
Clearly, the pre-election period of the past four weeks or so has signalled the mood among the voters and political parties’ municipal wide.
In fact, compared to previous elections, we have generally seen very fewer incidents of political intolerance in communities.
More and more, people of Umtshezi are also showing respect for the rule of law and the role of the Judiciary in resolving disputes; which can only improve the quality of our governance and the performance of the country’s institutions.
Multi-party democracy and political parties
In our system of elections, which among others emphasises on multi-party elections, we always have to recognise the important role of our political parties because they are our key stakeholders in election management
The parties and candidates in essence play a critical role in the process of elections as they not only encourage voters to exercise their constitutional rights, but also help us to implement the electoral laws and Code of Conduct.
Our commitment to the people of
Umtshezi
As the Electoral Commission we are delighted that people of Umtshezi have once more entrusted us with the running of these elections that will culminate in the appointment of public representatives.
From our side, we were committed to do our best in delivering this year’s elections and to ensure that transparency, accountability, professionalism and independence characterise the running of these elections.
In particular, I want to recognise the sterling work done by all our IEC personnel and our numerous partners who have worked tirelessly for many days to ensure that these Elections are FREE and FAIR.
My appreciation is not limited to the following: SAPS leadership and members, Umtshezi Municipality, Municipal Manager, religious fraternity, the PEO Mr Mawethu Mosery and his staff, the Regional Supervisor Mpume Sithebe and all my Area Managers, Presiding Officers, Deputy Presiding Officers and election staff.