Address by Kwazulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala during the announcement of the 2021 Local Government Elections,
Sanibonani! Good Morning!
We stand here with a deep sense of gratitude and humility to receive on behalf of the government and the people of KwaZulu-Natal, the final electoral outcomes of the 2021 Local Government elections as decided by the citizens of our country and province.
After a gruelling and intense campaign, the communities of our beautiful province, have articulated in no uncertain terms how they wish their wards and municipalities to be governed.
We wish to thank the IEC for its agility to fulfil its obligation following a directive from the Constitutional Court and for having performed an almost impossible task given the shortened turnaround time required. We thank IEC Officials and entire team for their dedication.
The IEC has not only delivered a credible election, but it has done this with a high level of efficiency and elegance even though there was a few glitches on the way.
Thanking political parties, stakeholders and the security agencies
We take the opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the political parties that were part of this crucial election exercise. The contestation, dialogue and campaigning were all vibrant everywhere. Worryingly, there were however isolated incidents that marred this election such as the shooting innocent women in Inanda, the brutal killing of candidate councillors, acts of intolerance and the assault on senior leaders especially the Secretary-General of the NFP. These should never be allowed in our democracy.
We are however pleased to note that political parties generally conducted their campaigns peacefully and in accordance with the electoral code of conduct. This conduct is a clear insurance and commitment that we are committed to taking our democracy to new heights.
We also wish to thank our security agencies who remained on full alert and responded swiftly and worked very hard to ensure that an environment of peace prevailed before and during the voting process. The security agencies especially the South African Police Service, South African National Defence Force and intelligence services spent long hours and sacrificed sleep in order to ensure that voting takes place peacefully and the Constitutional right of citizens to vote is not infringed. We say thank you for the sterling work you have done, and we hope this work ethic is an example that we can continue to emulate.
To the South African media and all journalists in our province, we wish to pay a special tribute to you for going the extra mile in informing the voters about the various campaigns, dissecting and analysing the manifestos, and in ensuring that the elections were held in a transparent manner. The role of the media should be applauded.
Way forward
As we accept these results today as government will play our part in facilitating a smooth transition and re-establishment of all the municipal councils.
Now that the elections are decided, it is time to respond to the needs of the communities. Voting is the beginning of the long and arduous journey to grow KwaZulu-Natal and indeed South Africa. The real electoral victory will gain meaning when we address the commitments and expectations of all communities even those who did not vote for us. This is the time to translate all the manifestos into workable plans of action and tangible delivery to our communities.
I also wish to thank my colleagues in the Provincial Government and the Executive who have worked tirelessly to lend the support to the IEC. This they did by, making available services required in schools, voting districts, infrastructure and all necessities to enable the IEC to conduct successful elections.
We thank the local and international observer missions whose work has contributed to the consolidation of our democracy and through their role they have shined a positive spotlight on the resilience of our democracy.
Conclusion
As we end, now that the election is over, let us put our contestation behind, and extend a hand of comradeship to one another with a full understanding that the future of our province demands that we work together.
Together Growing KwaZulu-Natal.
I thank you!
