Pretoria - Government has commended all South Africans for making the 2014 national and provincial elections a success.
South Africans on Wednesday, May 7 participated in the fifth democratic elections, which took place as the country celebrates 20 years of freedom.
“The sight of millions of South Africans queuing to vote demonstrated a vibrant and maturing democracy.
“The elections have served to renew and strengthen our democracy. We are pleased by the great turnout, in particular first time voters. Statistics from the IEC show that more people than ever before have chosen to exercise their right to vote,” said Acting Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO Phumla Williams, a day after the ANC was officially announced the winner of the elections.
The remarkable turnout of young voters bodes well for the South African democracy, said Williams.
“We are inspired by the overwhelming number of young people who came out to vote across the country. This is a clear indication that the future of South Africa is in good hands.”
Government applauded all the political parties for the spirit of national unity that prevailed during the elections.
“During this time, government appeals to everyone to celebrate responsibly and within the law. The future is now in our hands and we must all do our best to build a winning nation,” said Williams.
As the country begins to look forward to the next decade of freedom, Williams encouraged South Africans to be proud of what they have achieved in the last two decades.
“As we move forward, we need to inculcate the culture of activism and tolerance displayed during the elections period in the daily life of our country. Government recognises the facilitation role that was played by media and the public engagement through election debates and dialogue. This has assisted in mobilising and stimulated interest in the 2014 general elections.
“The elections were hard fought and contested with remarkable political maturity and tolerance and now that the divisive political battles have come to an end, government calls on all South Africans to unite behind a common goal of moving the country forward in line with the Vision 2030, as mapped out in the National Development Plan,” Williams said. – SAnews.gov.za
