political parties

CCR Complains About Deployment Policy

Monday 4 May, 2009 - 11:35

The Centre for the Constitutional Rights (CCR) has complained to the Public Protector and the Public Service Commission about the African National Congress’ (ANC) policy of deploying cadres.

CCR’S advocate, Nikki de Havilland says that the practice is illegal and points out that the constitution requires a clear separation between the ruling political party and institutions of the state.

The CCR complaint comes as the country waits for president-elect Jacob Zuma to announce his new cabinet and other top positions in government.

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2009 Elections: The People Have Spoken

Wednesday 29 April, 2009 - 11:12

South Africans withstood low temperatures in some parts of the country to join queues to cast their votes in South Africa’s fourth democratic elections on 22 April 2009. For many, the long queues at many of the approximately 19 000 polling stations brought back memories of 1994 when they participated in the country’s first democratic elections.

Unlike the 1999 and 2004 elections which were characterised by voter apathy, 2009 will be remembered for the interest and participation of young South Africans in both rural and urban areas.

Election Observers Share Findings

Tuesday 28 April, 2009 - 16:26

The EISA Observer Mission Team

On Friday, 24 April 2009, the EISA Observer Mission Team delivered its “Interim Statement on the 2009 South African National and Provincial Elections” at the EISA offices in Johannesburg.

EISA set up an observer mission consisting of 34 members from Nigeria, Lesotho, Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, Tanzania and Angola.

Media Coverage on Elections Fair

Tuesday 28 April, 2009 - 12:25

Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) says the South African media was fair to all parties while covering the elections. However, it notes that the coverage tended to lack depth and concentrated on personalities rather than policies.

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Opposition Parties and Elections

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2009 National Elections: Voting Abroad

Tuesday 21 April, 2009 - 18:08

As South Africans vote in the fourth democratic national elections this week, I find it necessary to reflect on the achievement of one political party, the Freedom Front Plus. South Africans will recall that it is the FF Plus that took government to court over certain provisions of the Electoral Act, which it consistently argued that “they were unconstitutional”.

Opposition Parties and Elections

Wednesday 15 April, 2009 - 12:15

While many may argue that the African National Congress (ANC) looks certain to lead the country into the 2014 polls, it would be naïve to ignore the many opposition parties contesting the elections in South Africa. Unlike in 2004, 1999 and 1994, the 2009 elections are characterised by a greater visibility of parties. Will they survive the elections given their limited funding, small support bases, unknown leaders and other challenges?

The EISA Election Update

The EISA Election Update provides relevant information around the electoral process and in that way promotes political dialogue among key actors, including civil society organisations, political parties, the election management body and monitors and observers. This update is aimed at providing useful information on numerous issues emanating from the 2009 general elections in South Africa.

For more information, click here (PDF).

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South Africans Abroad Cast their Votes

Wednesday 15 April, 2009 - 11:36

South Africans living in the United Kingdom eager to cast their ballots in the national election have formed a long queue outside the High Commission on Trafalgar Square today.

The polling station at South Africa House opened promptly at 7am and the queue of about 1 000 people stretching down the block and onto Trafalgar Square flowed smoothly, with many of the voters expressing surprise at how quickly the process went.

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Consolidating Developmental Local Government

Consolidating Developmental Local Government: Lessons from the South African Experience is an edited volume compiled and written by people who participated in one way or another in the experience of democratic consolidation. The book documents the dynamics of local government transformation and captures the key themes of the debates about policy options, lessons and key strategic decisions.

These debates are aimed at ensuring that municipalities play a key role in creating more democratic, non-racial, equitable and sustainable communities, towns and cities.