EFF woos convicts’ families in bid for their votes

THE EFF is setting its sights on the support of criminals by encouraging the families of those incarcerated to help them in registering to vote for the national and provincial general elections.

Officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) were in all prisons across the province to register inmates to vote.

EFF provincial chairperson Melikhaya Xego said prisoners, too, had the right to vote.

“Understanding that South Africa is a country ridden by crime due to the social inequalities that plague it, the right to participate in the electoral process is one that offenders are afforded rightfully, a right that was hard-fought for by those who fought against the brutal system of apartheid,” Xego said.

He encouraged family members who are still in possession of offenders’ IDs to take them to their respective prisons during this process.

“Our correctional services system and environment is one that should ideally be rehabilitative and not punitive. It should be one that does not necessarily bring further hostility and isolation to members of society who have infringed on the rights of others, but rather should seek to imprint on them the importance of coexisting and respecting others, and instilling a sense of ethics and morality, even though our society is not conducive to such,” Xego said.

“We urge all incarcerated offenders and those related to them to register to vote so that they can elect a government that will address all the ills within our society that breed criminality, while creating a just, fair and habitable correctional system.”

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said: “Most offenders do not keep their ID documents with them and they are often kept at home by family members. In the past this has inhibited voter registration among inmates.”

National Commissioner of Correctional services Arthur Fraser said facilities would be made available to keep ID documents safe for voter registration, and then to return these to family members during their next visit.

“Since 1999, the Electoral Commission has worked closely with the Department of Correctional Services to provide voter registration and voting opportunities for inmates in line with the Constitutional right extended to prisoners to vote.

“Inmates are registered to vote in the municipality in which they resided prior to incarceration,” Fraser said.

There are about 160 000 offenders in South Africa’s 240 prisons.