KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Mr Willies Mchunu, has urged the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal to observe restraint, tolerance and good behaviour that will ensure that the weekend’s voter registration takes place in a peaceful environment, free of intimidation and violence.
Voter registration will take place this weekend, 9 and 10 November 2013 at 22 263 registration points throughout the country, including KwaZulu-Natal. In KwaZulu-Natal alone there are 4 747 voter registration stations that will be manned by 11 000 IEC officials
MEC Mchunu said today that it was important for the people of KwaZulu-Natal, including the leadership of political parties, to ensure that this process was free of any incident that might undermine the right of people to register so they could freely exercise their democratic rights to choose leaders of their choice in the 2014 provincial and national elections.
Judging by recent by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal, it is clear that politically, KwaZulu-Natal has come of age and was achieving political maturity. Let us observe that posture, carry ourselves with dignity, sense of responsibility and let everyone to freely register for the upcoming elections. History has shown that political grand-standing, intolerance and violence have contributed nothing positive for the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
We owe it to ourselves to show South Africans, and the indeed the world at large, that we have learnt from the unfortunate past history of violence and we are now focused on progress, development and spirit of togetherness, said MEC Mchunu.
MEC Mchunu also assured all residents of KwaZulu-Natal that security forces would be out in numbers to ensure that everything moved smoothly and that people were able to exercise their democratic right without fear of intimidation and political interference.
"Let us all go out in numbers to ensure that we register to cast our votes in an environment free of any negative incidents that could seek to undermine this democratic process of putting these critical building blocks on our fledgling democracy," urged MEC Mchunu.
