Pretoria – Political parties say they are ready for the Local Government Elections taking place tomorrow.
On Tuesday, some political party members toured the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Pretoria. They expressed their confidence in the Electoral Commission’s integrity and ability to run free and fair elections.
On Tuesday, Democratic Alliance (DA) national spokesperson Phumzile van Damme and Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema were among those who visited the ROC.
President Jacob Zuma is also expected to visit the ROC today.
They used the oversight visit to check if all measures are in place for elections, especially for the counting of results after polls have closed. Political parties are allocated space at the ROC so they can monitor results as they stream in and are displayed on the leader board.
Speaking to SAnews, Van Damme said things were “looking good”. She said she believed that although there have been minor glitches reported on the two days of special votes on Monday and Tuesday, it is nothing cannot be resolved.
The IEC on Monday also said special voting provides the commission an opportunity to address challenges ahead of the main voting day.
“We will push the next few hours to ensure that every registered DA voter comes out and votes. All our activists are on the ground, knocking on doors so that everyone comes out and votes tomorrow,” Van Damme said.
She said her party has not experienced any major safety and security issues and is confident that should anything happen, the police will deal with it.
She encouraged everyone to go and vote. “Every single vote counts.”
Van Damme had no doubt about the credibility of the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
“The IEC has always been good in making sure that logistics are in place for the elections and it looks like it is all systems go, everything is in place,” she said.
Playing by the rules
Van Damme said the party is ensuring that all its candidates abide by the rules in these elections. She said they remain ready to deliver their best in those municipalities where they will win.
Malema also said the EFF does not doubt the IEC’s integrity and capability to run elections. He said the IEC should remain neutral and continue to do “what they are known for”.
However, Malema expressed concern over incidents that he said victimised his party candidates in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, and the reported removal of the party posters in Johannesburg.
He said regardless of all these factors, the EFF wishes all political parties well in the elections.
“We call on all to be tolerant and have peaceful elections. We call on electoral officers to be fair and always use the IEC rules book to take action on whatever challenges they face. We call on all voters to know that their vote is their secret and they must not be intimidated,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za
