President Cyril Ramaphosa eased the suspense surrounding this year’s local government elections after he announced that voting will take place on Wednesday, 27 October.
This will be the sixth time, under South Africa’s democratic system, that voters will elect leadership and public representatives at metropolitan, district and local level. “The president urges eligible and especially first-time voters to ensure they are registered to participate in the elections, which provide the basis for development and service delivery closest to where citizens live,” the Presidency said in a statement. While Chatsworth residents are eager to cast their votes, some are skeptical on how the process will work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pushpa Naidoo, a Montford resident, said she was looking forward to casting her vote, but fears and doubt linger in her mind. “I am passionate about voting for the future and well-being of my area, however, I am worried about how this year’s voting process will unfold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are many concerns but I feel like instead of just having one day allocated for this process, government should have at least run it for a week to allow for a limited number of people to vote at a time in a spacious and well-ventilated environment.”
In a briefing updating residents on the Covid-19 status of KwaZulu-Natal, Premier Sihle Zikalala welcomed the announcement of the local government election date. “This has put an end to much speculation and widespread concerns over whether the elections were going to take place at all, given the massive disruption caused by Covid-19. These elections will also mark the 21st anniversary since the establishment of a local government system in our country. The upcoming local elections are important as they represent the maturity of democracy. It is extremely important that as many eligible citizens as possible participate in this all-important process.” Zikalala also confirmed that the province aims to vaccinate 2.9 million citizens before the local government election in October and urged citizens to register for vaccination. “The success of our vaccination plan, which will help us achieve enough population immunity to be able to halt the spread of the virus, this depends critically on as many people as possible getting registered on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). We understand the dynamics of our province and that many in the 60-and- above age group will require hands-on support in registering and are therefore urging relatives, children, and friends of the elderly who have familiarity with technology systems to assist the grandmothers and fathers to register.” Phase two of the vaccination process is set to commence on 17 May and will cover essential workers, people who work in settings where they interact with a high number of members of the public, citizens who are 60 years old and over as well as those who are 18 years old and over with co-morbidities.
