The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has warned disgruntled individuals and communities against boycotting elections, saying opting out of democratic participation could limit their ability to influence decisions affecting their daily lives.
The warning follows the final voter registration weekend, during which some communities expressed dissatisfaction over ward changes resulting from municipal boundary reviews.
Election-related protests were reported in parts of the North West and Limpopo, with residents raising concerns about their areas being moved into different wards following reviews by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB).
IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi said elections provide citizens with an opportunity to influence leadership choices and hold decision-makers accountable at local government level.
“People who are unhappy for one reason or another, whether with service delivery, decisions of the MDB, water provision or electricity provision, have an opportunity through elections to renew a mandate.
“It is an opportunity to influence the selection of decision-makers in the local sphere. Therefore, we do not think there is much to be gained by people opting out of democratic participation when they have an opportunity to influence governance in their local areas,” Sheburi said during a media briefing at the IEC’s headquarters in Centurion on Monday.
The IEC’s concerns come as the commission confirms that about 10 million eligible voters remain unregistered, despite the country having an estimated voting-age population of more than 39 million people.
“We confirm that population estimates indicate that there are upwards of 39 million age-eligible citizens in the country. We have 29 million people on the voters’ roll. So that is the gap that remains unregistered,” Sheburi said.
The commission attributed voter disengagement to several factors, including dissatisfaction with service delivery and broader concerns about government performance.
Sheburi said research indicates the emergence of an “electoral divide”, where some citizens have decided not to participate in elections until certain issues are addressed.
“Are those people unregistered because of a failure by the commission to run programmes? I do not think that is an adequate response. It is clear from all research that there is an emerging and entrenching electoral divide.
“There are people who have formed a view that until certain things happen, they will not participate in an election. So whatever drives you do will not reverse and get those people into the fold,” he said.
However, Sheburi said the IEC remains committed to encouraging participation and ensuring more South Africans take part in the democratic process.