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 advocacy. This has been massive preparatory work rolled out in all the 9 provinces and 52 Districts across the country involving 9 non-governmental organisations.
The extensive engagement of people in villages, farms, universities prisons and faith centres, traditional courts and taxi ranks was through various modes of outreach such as (i) workshops, (ii) drama, (iii) music, (iv) poetry and (v) facilitated dialogues. The communication platforms used include (i) physical workshops, (ii) television, (iii) community and commercial radio stations, (iv) community and commercial newspapers, (v) social media platforms such as face-book, WhatsApp groups, Tik Tok, as well as through virtual zoom meetings.
Outcomes of this initiative includes the following;
- contributing to mobilisation and reaching out directly to at least 5 million people.
- contributing to widespread information sharing resulting in well informed citizens especially the youth and the elderly people.
- running voter registration campaigns and reaching out to a significant increase of voter registration percentage among young people and women we reached out to at churches, tertiary institutions and at sporting platforms.
- increased awareness on their rights and responsibilities of citizens.
- informed voter who votes from an informed perspective to elect good political leaders.
- facilitating dialogues that contribute reduced tensions and violence and killings especially in provinces such as KwaZulu Natal, Eastern cape and Gauteng in the period before the May 2024 elections.
Through this pre-election project some of the key issues raised by communities include the following:
- Dissatisfaction with the Electoral System of Proportional Representation: The current proportional representation system was heavily debated. Most people felt that the proportional representation system does not effectively represents the interests of all citizens. They questioned whether the President should not be voted for directly by the electorate. The discussions were about the need for better representation of minority groups, including women, youth.
Recommendation – There is a need for further consultation and development of a policy submission that looks at whether there should be changes to a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system or another model.
- The Unconstitutionality of the Bill on Political Party Funding: Transparency and accountability in party funding remains extremely contentious issues. President Ramaphosa agreed to the unconstitutional Electoral Matters Amendment Bill (EMAB). The Bill, introduced in December 2023 and was necessary to amend several pieces of legislation to allow independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections. But the Bill appears to be used opportunistically to undermine political party funding laws. The Bill is deeply flawed and unconstitutional because it places power in the President to determine the upper limit of political party donations and the reporting threshold in the PPFA. This arrangement essentially allows the President to set rules that could disproportionately benefit their political interests, creating an unequal playing field for other political entities. Because there are no limits and no reporting requirements, this means that political parties will be able to take donations, of any nature and amount, and not have to make this public. This environment enables State Capture, and as well, has a dangerous impact on transparency and accountability.
Recommendation -There was a call for advocacy so that financial donation limits should be proclaimed by the President to allow transparency and accountability.
- Poor Voter Registration Turnout: Many reasons were given about why people are not registering to vote. Most important was the need to address barriers to voter registration as well as to voter turnout. One way to address the problem of voter registration is by legislating that registration as voter should automatically be done when one applies for a South African Identity Document. This cuts off the hustles as well as huge expenditure of voter registration by IEC just before the elections.
Recommendation: consulting further with civil society soon after the 29 May 2024 National and provincial elections, consulting with Law Society, Law clinics and Black Lawyers Association and developing a policy submission document to Portfolio Committees and to provincial and National parliaments.
- Electoral Integrity and Questions on the Issuing of Observer Accreditation: IEC is the sole entity authorised to issue accreditation of election observers who happen to observe it. This is perceived as an IEC conflict of interest. There are concerns about the possibility IEC not granting or delaying granting accreditation status to certain people who might be perceived as critical to it. After the MK court cases, some community members suspect IEC to be captured by the ANC and think that its independence is compromised.
Recommendation: There is a need to consult with legal minds about the fears and the legalities that will ensure protection of democracy and integrity of the IEC. Civil society calls for electoral reforms to enhance the integrity of the EMB by ensuring that the observer accreditation responsibility is granted to the Ombudsman, the Public protector, the Human Rights Commission or the Auditor General or at least that that the EMB must consider observation accreditation working in close conjunction with one of these Chapter 9 institutions.
- Constitutional Amendments in relation to (i) lack of consultation of rural communities about by-laws and lack of delivery of basic services – Most provinces advocate for constitutional amendments to address perceived shortcomings of democratic principles. There is a serious lack of consultation to involve ordinary people, especially in rural areas. Inaccessibility of information and participation is because (i) lack of adequate consultation, and (ii) most of the communication with important information is in English, which in most cases is in technical legal terminology hence inhibiting local community participation.
Recommendation – In the post-election period, there is a need to consult more communities and concretise recommendations for constitutional amendments related to the different areas that affect most of the population.
Summary of the context and general political climate
- ANC’s Perceived Declining Popularity: The African National Congress (ANC), which has been the dominant party since the end of apartheid, appears to be experiencing a decline in support due to alleged widespread corruption scandals, economic challenges, and poor service delivery.
- Emergence of New Parties: New political parties and movements are gaining traction, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) led by Julius Malema, the Mkhonto Wesizwe led by Former president Jacob Zuma as well as by Inkatha Freedom Party led by Velenkosini Hlabisa, reflecting growing disillusionment with the traditional parties.
- Coalition Politics: With no single party likely to secure an outright majority, coalition politics are becoming more significant, leading to complex negotiations and alliances at both national and provincial levels. The decisions on who will govern with who appear to leave the electorate with a bitter taste as they are not necessarily involved in the final coalition decisions.
- Focus on Service Delivery and violent protests: The widespread violent protests at Universities, in communities as well as the blocking of highways are one indication that voters are increasingly concerned with local issues such as infrastructure, job creating, healthcare, and education, pressuring government to focus on tangible service delivery improvements.
- Political manifestos and Economic Concerns: High unemployment rates, economic inequality, and slow economic growth are central issues, influencing voter sentiment and party platforms. This is a common theme in all political party manifestos. For many people. from campaign manifestos, it is very not clear which party, beyond the populist rhetoric, really cares for the poor?
- Corruption and Governance: Corruption remains a critical issue, with ongoing investigations and high-profile cases such as the speaker of national parliament. This phenomenon has a deep impact on public trust in government institutions and political leaders.
- Youth Engagement: Younger voters increased the voter registration percentage. This shows that the youth are mobilised, raised awareness, and are becoming more politically active, demanding greater accountability, job opportunities, and progressive policies, influencing the political discourse.
- Social Issues: Issues such as land reform, housing, and crime are prominent in community political dialogues. These are electorate deep seated PRIORITY ISSUES presented and shaping political party agendas.
- Inter-Party and Intra-party Dynamics: In KZN, the appears to be a tense relationship between ANC and IFP. Church leaders have come close to the 2 political parties seeking to mediate and contribute to peace and stability in KwaZulu Natal. On the other hand, internal divisions within major parties, particularly the ANC and Democratic Alliance (DA), are influencing candidate selections, policy positions, and overall party stability and possibilities of floor crossing. It is commendable that not a lot of politicians have been shot dead during the runup to the 2024 national and provincial elections.
- Electoral Reforms: Community and civil society discussions around electoral reforms, including changes to the electoral system and increased transparency on political party funding, are ongoing, aiming to enhance democratic processes and voter confidence.
Influence of the traditional and religious leaders on voters – The KwaZulu Natal Christian Council (KZNCC) and KZN church Leaders Group (KZNCLG) have come out with clear messages encouraging voters to go and vote. In their messages, they emphasise the importance of “the common good”, justice for all and peace.
Signing of the Electoral Code of Conduct and violations – At the invitation of the IEC, religious leaders have officiated the signing of the electoral code of conduct. This has been welcomed by political parties, local business, and communities.
The Electoral Court ruling on political parties’ court bid of exclusion from contesting elections – out of over 200 political parties that intended to contest, only 52 are registered. The court found that the rest failed to comply with the election timetable by not meeting the deadline for submitting their complete candidate lists.
Security Concerns Remain High – May 17 police threat analysis has raised an alarm that some areas (only 650 areas nationally?) are labelled as hotspot zones needing close monitoring. Most of these are in KwaZulu-Natal. Most of our roving domestic election observers are deployed to these areas.
-Authorities have indicated that sufficient measures are in place to ensure safety, peace, and stability during voting in all provinces.
Fake news and media monitoring – Faith leaders and civil society organisations have alerted communities to desist from tendencies of forwarding fake social media news, that often evokes emotions and inflames violence. Media monitoring will take place encouraging media houses to accord equal air slots to all political parties.
Our 5 000 mobile domestic election observers nationally, of which 1000 are in KwaZulu Natal, are on the ground. Observing election proceedings. We have written appealing to independent candidates, and political parties to encourage their members to adhere to the electoral code of conduct, and to principles of transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
On the 2nd we meet at 50 Langalibalele Street to present a draft report of the May 2024 National and provincial domestic election observation mission.