Setting up KZN provincial Hub at KZNCC offices were we will have 3 local leaders, a media specialist, a gender and elections expert, a political analyst, sitting and analysing data from districts, and offering support needed in districts and responding to media enquiries.

Introductory background - The KZNCC, SADRA, SA-DEN constitute an independent voluntary association made up of faith and civil society organisations in South Africa. The organisations have commitment to strengthen electoral systems and processes, and to contribute to higher levels of electoral integrity through its Domestic Election Observer Mission. This mission is constituted of 5000 domestic accredited election observers who contributed to free and fair elections in a context characterised by historical political violence, violent protests and intimidation, political killings, hate-speech [...]

As a network of organised Civil Society Organisations (comprised of Faith-Based Organisations, Community-Based Organisations, and Non-Governmental Organisations in different parts of South Africa) made up of the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council, the South African Democracy Election Network, and others supported by AHEAD Africa co-funded by European Union and by the Kagiso Trust and SADRA; we have deployed 5000 specially trained Conflict Mediators in several Voting Districts identified by Election Monitors, the Electoral Commission, and the South African Police as hotspots nationwide [...]

As a network of organised Civil Society Organisations (comprised of Faith-Based Organisations, Community-Based Organisations, and Non-Governmental Organisations in different parts of South Africa), we encourage all eligible voters to vote and all citizens to promote peace and political tolerance during these elections. This is a highly competitive election with no guaranteed winners, and we anticipate that the differences in the vote outcome will be by a close margin in many areas. In the past four weeks, we have deployed 5000 [...]

Introductory background – Since April 2024 KwaZulu Natal Christian Council and South African Democracy Election Network and #Unmute Civil Society supported by Kagiso Trust initiated weekly workshops and dialogues to mobilise various constituencies such as; (i) churches, (ii) farms, (iii) traditional leaders, (iv) tertiary institutions, (v) rural areas and (vi) townships. The mobilisation was to rollout educational sessions on the following areas: (i) Voter and balloting education, (ii) civic and democracy education, (iii) mediation and conflict resolution, (iv) lobbying and [...]

Deployment of civil society Observers and Conflict Mediators ahead of the May 2024 national and provincial elections

Election observers play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. Their main responsibilities include: 1. Monitoring voting and counting processes to ensure accuracy and fairness. 2. Verifying that elections are conducted in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. 3. Reporting any irregularities or violations to the appropriate authorities. 4. Providing an impartial assessment of the electoral process. 5. Enhancing public confidence in the electoral process. 6. Supporting electoral authorities in improving the quality of [...]

As a network of organised Civil Society Organisations (comprised of Faith-Based Organisations, Community-Based Organisations, and Non-Governmental Organisations in different parts of South Africa), we are deploying 5000 election observers and conflict mediators in the 9 provinces of South Africa. Special focus is deployment to the hot spot areas in the various provinces. The main organisations deploying the observers and mediators in a coordinated effort in all the provinces include KZNCC, South African Council of churches, and Defend Our Democracy. The [...]