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May 27, 2024IEC Ready to Administer Special Vote
May 27, 2024President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to unite for free, fair, and peaceful National and Provincial Elections scheduled for this Wednesday. Voting stations will open from 7 am to 9 pm, with 27 million eligible voters expected to cast their ballots.
In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa highlighted the significance of these elections, stating, “Holding free, fair, and peaceful elections is a barometer of the good health of our democracy. As we cast our votes on Wednesday, let us, in the words of our Constitution, ‘honor those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land, respect those who have worked to build and develop our country, and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity’.”
Reflecting on the country’s democratic journey, Ramaphosa reminded South Africans of the tumultuous period leading up to the first democratic elections in 1994. He recalled state-sponsored violence and the threat of a right-wing insurrection that created widespread fear and uncertainty.
“One newspaper at the time described long supermarket queues of people stocking up on tinned foods, a rush to attend emigration seminars, panicked currency exchanges, and fearful callers to radio stations about sabotage of power plants and water supplies,” he said. Despite these fears, the elections proceeded peacefully, thanks to the efforts of political leaders from the Inkatha Freedom Party, the African National Congress, and the National Party, who signed a memorandum of agreement for reconciliation and peace just days before the election.
President Ramaphosa emphasized that South Africans have consistently chosen peace over violence and unity over division. He expressed confidence that this year’s elections would continue in the same vein, underscoring the nation’s commitment to democratic principles.
“Once again, we have every confidence that this election will take place under conditions of peace, safety, and tolerance and that it will be free and fair. The integrity of our elections is a testament to the high regard in which South Africans hold their hard-won right to vote,” Ramaphosa said. “It is an affirmation that no matter what our political differences are, when it comes to safeguarding our democracy, we are prepared to put these differences aside for the common good.”
As South Africans prepare to vote, Ramaphosa urged them to honor the sacrifices of those who fought for their democratic rights, to respect others’ choices, and to exercise their right to vote peacefully.
“For the past thirty years, we have chosen the path of peace over violence, of reconciliation over hate, and of unity over divisions of race, ethnicity, or tribe. The stability and integrity of our electoral system bears witness to this,” he said.
President Ramaphosa concluded his message with a call to action: “Let us hold another election that is peaceful, that is free, that is fair, and that is a credit to all the elections we have held since 1994. Let it be that the ultimate winner of this election is South Africa, our democracy, and you, the South African people.”