South Africa’s 2019 National and Provincial Elections are a prime example of how African countries can carry out future elections.
Speaking to SAnews, Zimbabwean observer who forms part of the African Union (AU), Lewis Matutu, described voting in South Africa’s sixth national and provincial elections as historical.
“We moved around different polling stations yesterday, witnessing people voting freely. We also saw people from different political parties mingling. This is a sign that the South African democracy is maturing,” he said on Thursday.
Matutu, who hails from Zimbabwe, added that South Africa is making the continent proud.
There were approximately 26.7 million registered voters scheduled to vote in yesterday’s elections.
Matutu, who spoke to SAnews, at the national Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Pretoria, praised the Electoral Commission (IEC) for administering the elections.
He was also impressed by the number of young people who participated in the voting process.
“The IEC managed to accommodate a majority of young people in the election process itself. I’ve seen many young people being presiding officers and elections officers [and that is] a sign that the South African government values young people and they understand that they are the future of this country,” he said.
Matatu’s delegation on Wednesday visited polling stations in Tembisa and greater Johannesburg as polls opened at 7am and were scheduled to close at 9pm.
Among the observers spotted at the ROC included former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete who was taken on a tour of operations at the centre.
The ROC continues to be a hive of activity as vote counting continues. The latest data on the leader board put vote counting at 5 651 438 as at 1:06pm. - SAnews.gov.za
