In an unprecedented move on the eve of a general election, and with his party facing the loss of its majority for the first time, President Cyril Ramaphosa used the public broadcaster on Sunday night to trumpet the ANC’s achievements in office in the past five years.
After addressing the importance of this week’s election and dealing with some related security concerns, Ramaphosa spent the rest of his 30-minute address on the government’s successes — from its handling of Covid-19 to tackling corruption and gender-based violence and the signing into law of the National Health Insurance Bill.
Under the guise of a presidential address, Ramaphosa appeared to be making a last-ditch effort to convince voters of his party’s achievements in government.
Speaking about how much SA had been transformed since the democratic transition in 1994, Ramaphosa said the elections were about much more than South Africans exercising their right to vote. “We will be determining the direction that our country takes,” he said.
His national address came amid poor polling for the ANC, which shows it will garner less than 50% of the vote for the first time since in 1994.
Electoral analyst Wayne Sussman said the speech was a clear abuse of state resources. “It was a campaign speech. It was an unprecedented use of state resources which I cannot recall presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki or Jacob Zuma doing on the eve of elections.”
Ramaphosa also promised that whatever the result of the elections, there would be a smooth transition. “Regardless of the outcome, this election must further entrench our democracy,” he said.
Almost 28-million people will vote on three ballots for the first time since 1994 — in national, provincial and regional elections — at just more than 23,000 polling stations from Monday to Wednesday.
In his address, Ramaphosa said election storage facilities in KwaZulu-Natal had been “illegally entered” and called on political parties to maintain the integrity of the election process. The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) confirmed this on Sunday. Law enforcement agencies were also on high alert over threats of political unrest.
Protest action
In an internal memorandum to KwaZulu-Natal SA Police Service branches, deputy provincial commissioner for policing Maj-Gen Phumelele Makoba said protest action was expected across the province in May and June. The memorandum said members of former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party had voiced their intention to protest in the event that Zuma was barred from contesting elections.
“Further information indicates that the risk for intimidation, malicious damage to property, arson, barricading of roads, looting, hijacking of trucks as well as clashes between members supporters of the MK party, opposing political parties and with authorities is high, should demonstrations take place,” the memorandum reads.
Areas the police have placed on high alert for violence include central Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Estcourt, Richards Bay and Ladysmith. KwaZulu-Natal law enforcement authorities have deployed 17,000 police and other security personnel across all voting districts to prevent violence during and after the polls.
This includes 632 voting stations identified as high risk. KwaZulu-Natal has been a hive of activity in the run-up to the polls, with the ANC, EFF and IFP holding rallies in the province in February and March.
Meanwhile, in a media briefing on Sunday, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure insisted that law enforcement agencies were “in charge and in control” as the country heads to the polls.
“To all voters, go out there having full confidence that the Natjoints’ plan is on track to protect your rights and our democracy. We are in control. As law enforcement agencies, we will ensure your safety throughout this period,” deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili said.
She acknowledged that the task of ensuring a safe election period was challenging but assured citizens that past experience would augur well for this week. “The task at hand is immense but through past experiences of ensuring safe and secure elections, we are confident that we are ready.”
In another development, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union celebrated a fresh wage deal for overtime during the elections. The police union said on Sunday that management had agreed to three fundamental demands, including compensation for cancelled leave that had been granted to officers. Officers would also be given shift allowances and a new system would be created to allow them compensation for overtime during the elections.
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