Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today at this event to launch the Electoral Commission’s communications campaign for the 2014 national and provincial elections.
Since its establishment in 1997, the Electoral Commission has managed a total of six general elections. These were three national and provincial elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009 and three municipal elections in 2000, 2006 and 2011. All these elections went fairly smoothly, and were all declared free and fair by observers. The enthusiastic participation of South Africans in these elections has also ensured that we have avoided an international trend of declining voter turnout. These achievements however have not lulled us into a sense of complacency.
The national and provincial elections of 2014 will mark 20 years of democracy since the landmark elections of 1994. The scenes from those first elections are forever inscribed in the national memory. For the first time, South Africans from all walks of life stood in line, waiting to participate as equals in determining a government for the country. On that occasion, we honoured the words in the Preamble to our Constitution: “We, the people of South Africa… believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.”
There would be no better way to celebrate this milestone – 20 years of democracy – than to ensure that every eligible South African is able to register and to vote in these coming elections. Our democracy will be strengthened by the patriotic involvement of all our citizens. The Commission is therefore determined to ensure that we attain a record number of registrations for these elections. We are also preparing ourselves for an exceptionally high voter turnout. South Africans have repeatedly shown us that they will rise to the occasion and we are confident that the opportunity of the coming elections will be no different.
In South Africa, our legislative framework requires citizens to register before they are allowed to vote. It is important to note that registration is apolitical. Everyone has a role to play in encouraging unregistered citizens to register. The call by the Electoral Commission to encourage voter registration is one that must be embraced by political parties, the media, educational institutions, organised labour, organised business, religious institutions, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders, government, Chapter 9 institutions and civil society as a whole. We have already begun the process to consult with various stakeholders in this regard and we will continue to do so beyond the general registration weekend.
The Electoral Commission is a continuously learning organisation that operates in a maturing democracy. Operating, as it does, in a fairly young democracy, we have learnt and continue to learn from our counterparts in other parts of the world. We however also tap into the wealth of knowledge that exists within the borders of our own country. In preparation for the 2014 national and provincial elections, the Commission considered a number of areas to improve the management of elections.
This led to consultative processes with various stakeholders, including observers, civil society organisations and political parties. One of the outcomes of these consultations is the proposed legislative amendments currently before Parliament. If passed, the Electoral Amendment Bill will extend voter registration opportunities for South African citizens outside of the Republic. This will be another step forward in our evolving democracy in order to extend the right to vote.
The Chief Electoral Officer and his colleagues will brief you about the plans that have been made for the registration weekend and for the elections. While the date for the elections has not been proclaimed yet, the Commission has planned to be ready at the earliest possible date within the legislative framework.
It now gives me great pleasure to announce that the Commission has determined the dates for a general voter registration weekend. These dates are Saturday, 9 November and Sunday, 10 November 2013. All our voting stations in the country will be open for the purposes of voter registration from 8am to 5pm. Preparations for this registration weekend are already at an advanced stage. Our officials will be ready to welcome and to assist prospective voters.
The Commission invites all eligible citizens who are not yet registered as voters to use this opportunity to join the millions of South Africans who are already on the national voters’ roll. The registration weekend can also be used by all registered voters as an opportunity to inspect their details on the voters’ roll. Voters who have moved since their last registration are also called on to register in their new voting districts.
We make a special call on young people, especially those who will be eligible to register and to vote for the first time, to show up in your numbers on the registration weekend. You are a special generation – the first to have been born in a democratic and free South Africa and who are now able to participate in the democratic life of our nation. Democracy and freedom came at a great price and cannot be taken for granted. The right to vote was achieved through tireless efforts by many South Africans of previous generations. Many of them were young people at the time and some of them lost their lives in the struggle for freedom. We should therefore treasure and use the opportunity to exercise this right. To fail to do so would be a disservice to the sacrifices of so many who have gone before.
I would like to echo the words of our former President, Nelson Mandela: “The youth of South Africa made a crucial contribution to the struggle for liberation, and I have no doubt in my mind that they have what it will take to put the injustices of the past behind them.”
The campaign which we launch today is a call on all South Africans to commit to the future of our beautiful country. We all have our unique reasons for voting. Whatever your reasons might be, the Commission is committed to ensuring that all eligible South Africans will be offered the opportunity to exercise their right to register to vote.
We are acutely aware of the past and the sometimes painful road that we have travelled. But we are also mindful of the expression that there is a time for everything: “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” We would like to mark the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our democracy as a time to celebrate, while honouring those who have worked to achieve this democracy, which we enjoy.
Thank you.
