By Minister Des van Rooyen
Now that the voters across the country have spoken and the fourth democratic local government is beginning its five year term of office, I urge all South Africans to support the newly constituted municipalities: 205 local municipalities, eight metropolitan municipalities and 44 district municipalities.
Our recent successful free and fair local government elections have further strengthened our democracy. They have reaffirmed that all South Africans, no matter their political affiliation, are committed to moving our nation forward.
The elected councilors across South Africa who have been entrusted with the will and wishes of communities for the next five years must now ensure that implementation takes place.
As government, we thank all those who took a firm decision to ensure that our democracy is functional and continues grow, and mature. The increased voter numbers when compared to the 2011 elections suggest that communities are fully committed to democracy.
Many across the country and the world have lauded the success of our local government elections. This, of course, was to a large extent the result of the work undertaken by the dedicated Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) teams across the length and breadth of our country.
Thousands of volunteers who formed part of the IEC teams worked in about 22 612 voting stations. Their hard work and dedication ensured that all of us were able to exercise our hard won democratic right, have our voices heard and give mandates to those who have the responsibility to represent us and our interests.
The success of the local government elections also hinged on the many party agents and their political parties who ensured that they were not compromised. They formed part of the checks and balances which led to free, fair and safe elections.
As the credibility of any election is based on the overwhelming participation of its citizens, the government launched a communication campaign led by an interdepartmental team to encourage eligible voters to register and eventually cast their ballots.
The public face of the elections was the campaigning which culminated in voters expressing their will at the ballot box on 3 August 2016. However, this was complemented by significant behind the-scenes activity.
Overall election planning was guided through an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on elections. The IMC was led by Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and comprised the departments such as Communications, Home Affairs, Justice, Defence and Military Veterans and Police. This collective, along with other role-players worked tirelessly to prepare the ground for free and fair elections.
This included providing support the IEC where necessary and security for the elections. Some departments worked closely with Home Affairs on extending its operating hours. There were also several occasions where ministers and other senior officials visited hotspots such as Vuwani.
As we extend our heartfelt appreciation to those who made it all possible for us to exercise our democratic right to cast the ballot, I urge all South Africans to remember that local government is in their hands.
Des van Rooyen is the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
