Zambia participates in the 2009 South African elections as SADC observer
IN April, 2009, I was privileged to be selected by my High Commissioner, Mr Leslie Mbula, to be part of the SADC Election Observer Mission to the South African national and provincial elections slated for 22nd April that year. These were the elections that were to mark Jacob Zuma’s first fiveyear term as that country’s fourth Republican President.
Being the first time I had ever participated in such an important event, I must say that the experience gained from the exercise was both nourishing and rewarding – nourishing because it increased my understanding of what election observation was all about; and rewarding because the knowledge gained would remain indelible in my mind.
The SADC Observer Mission was mandated to cover four provinces - Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo and North West. Only seven out of the 15 SADC member states participated in the exercise and these were Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and Swaziland.
To ensure total impartiality, the observers were mixed according to the countries they were representing. Thus each team consisted of different countries. I was placed in Team 17 which comprised Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia. My team was deployed in an area generally known as Vhembe District which is made up of Musina, Mutale (yes, Mutale!), Thohoyandou, Makhado and Alldays.
My team consisted of a Member of Parliament from Zimbabwe, an army colonel from Namibia and I, a diplomat, from Zambia.
My colleagues arrived in Musina on 12th April, 2009, and I joined them two days later on 14th April. Musina was to be our operational headquarters. On Wednesday, 15th April, 2009, we embarked on a tour of Mutale, Thohoyandou, Makhado and Alldays and were satisfied by the preparations the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials had made for the April 22 elections.
For accreditation and other requirements, we had the opportunity of attending a one-day seminar organised by the Provincial IEC Office in Polokwane on Friday, 19th April, 2009.
OBSERVATIONS
Organisational set up by the IEC in terms of polling stations and the logistical back up at the IEC Headquarters in Polokwane was good with clear reflective arrows or signs to the polling centres well placed. We also found the human resources manning the various polling centres quite helpful. At Mutale, the police and IEC officials informed us that Vhembe was generally a crime-free zone, which was evidenced by the fact that there were no incidents of political violence reported.
SPECIAL VOTES
We observed that many people had registered as special voters and these included police and other security personnel, the elderly, pregnant women and the disabled. However, the figure of such people was not as high as in metropolitan areas like Gauteng. For example, at Makhado Library Polling Station, less than 10 people had registered for the special votes.
POLLING DAY
Musina and the surrounding areas had 17 polling stations. However, for logistical reasons, we were only able to visit the nine stations located within Musina itself and one rural polling centre at Tshipe, about 36km from Musina. In all the centres we visited, we witnessed smooth voting process.
COUNTING
For the purpose of witnessing the counting process, my team camped at El-Shadai Polling Station located in a dominantly white area of Musina. Although only 845 people had voted here, the counting, which commenced at 21 hours, lasted until 03:45 hours. The counting system was quite slow and strenuous.
The counting process went on well – there were no irregularities reported and the number of ballot papers counted tallied with the number of people who had voted. No complaints were raised by any of the political parties represented.
Not unexpectedly, the DA (Democratic Alliance) won this centre both at Provincial and National level.
CONCLUSION
My team was of the opinion that the 2009 elections held in the Vhembe District were free and fair.
Meanwhile, the SADC Parliamentary Forum Observer Mission declared both the provincial and national elections as “free, fair and transparent” on the ground that they were held in a conducive environment and had commended the people of South Africa for turning out in large numbers to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
But while confirming that South Africa’s electoral process was in large measure compliant with regional electoral norms, standards and principles, the Mission recommended a review of the practice of voting outside
Statistics made available to the Mission showed that 56 percent of registered voters were women. To this end, the Forum congratulated the women of South Africa for taking an active part in elections. The Mission was thus generally satisfied with efforts being made in South Africa’s electoral politics to promote gender equality as articulated in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
one’s voting district or province as this might in future become a source of contestation and a challenge to the transparency of the electoral process.
It also recommended the introduction of translucent and colour coded ballot papers to match the different ballot papers/elections; development of mechanism to speed up voting which could include the establishment of multiple voting streams at each polling station disaggregated according to voters’ last names and review of eligibility criteria and distribution formula for public funding of political parties and promote equity.
The Mission leader, Prince Guduza Dhlamini, Speaker of the Swazi parliament, said the Mission was satisfied that the constitutional and legal framework of South Africa sufficiently guaranteed citizens’ civil and political rights in general, and the right to participate in elections as voters, candidates and members of political parties, in particular.
In the opinion of the Mission, the framework was consistent with election-related regional and international instruments.
The Mission was further satisfied with the legal framework governing the establishment, funding and operations of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), “which augurs well for the proper functioning of an independent EMB (electoral management board). Indeed, (it is) a good practice worth emulating elsewhere in Africa.”
Prince Dhlamini, who was flanked by his Secretary-General, Dr Kasuka Mutukwa, said that the Mission’s finding was amply corroborated by a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to political parties and candidates, civil society organisations and citizens.
“Stakeholders found the IEC to be impartial, consultative and transparent in its decision-making process. This is highly commendable,” he said.
While in the country, the Mission witnessed a peaceful and vibrant campaign described by many commentators as the most vibrant since 1994. In all the places visited by the Forum’s Observer Mission, campaign posters, pamphlets and billboards of the different parties were prominently emblazoned on lamp posts, buildings and motor vehicles.
“Campaign rallies and road shows were peaceful. There were, however, isolated reports of removal, tearing up or defacing of campaign posters of some parties. Apart from reported incidents of violence and intimidation in the early part of the campaign, the electoral process proceeded smoothly,” the Forum leader said, adding that it was worth noting that party liaison committees and faith-based organizations played a crucial role in addressing these challenges.
The Mission was also satisfied that the political environment within which the elections were held enabled candidates and party supporters to canvass and vote without undue hindrance.
Statistics made available to the Mission showed that 56 percent of registered voters were women. To this end, the Forum congratulated the women of South Africa for taking an active part in elections.
The Mission was thus generally satisfied with efforts being made in South Africa’s electoral politics to promote gender equality as articulated in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
To be continued next week