Budget Cuts and Complex New Voting Laws Disrupt South Africa’s Elections
Image Source: Snaking queues around the block at Wierda Independent School voting station in Centurion as South Africans came out to vote for the May 29 elections. Picture: Michael Sherman
Published by Everything ZA News
Johannesburg, 28 May 2024 – South Africa’s general elections on Wednesday faced significant disruptions, attributed to successive budget cuts and a newly legislated, more complicated voting process. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has struggled with a shrinking budget, exacerbating the chaos at many voting stations.
Over the past four years, the IEC’s budget has been reduced amid broader fiscal constraints within the government. Spending was slashed by R270 million from 2019/20 to 2026/27, including a R31 million cut for the 2024/25 budget, despite it being an election year. This followed a R250 million reduction in the previous medium-term budget cycle.
The budget constraints were particularly impactful this year as the IEC contended with a more complex voting process legislated by Parliament in 2021. The changes were mandated by the Constitutional Court to allow independent candidates to contest, resulting in the introduction of a three-ballot system. This system, requiring increased voter education, added to the electoral complications.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of voters were turned away from voting stations due to a lack of awareness about the new Electoral Act requirements, which stipulate that individuals must vote only at their registered stations unless they have applied to vote elsewhere. The longer voting process, necessitated by the third ballot and a longer ballot paper due to the proliferation of parties, caused extensive queues and delays.
Compounding the problem were unreliable voting machines, introduced as an additional reconciliation tool, which, while not essential to the election’s integrity, contributed to the logistical challenges.
Despite warnings about the complexity of the new voting model, the ANC, which pushed the legislation through Parliament, refused to consider alternative proposals for electoral reform. As a result, the IEC’s outreach budget of R237 million for 2024/25 was cut by R21 million from the previous year’s estimate, severely impacting voter education efforts.
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo defended the Commission’s efforts, stating, “The IEC did what it could with its budget and had fully expended its outreach budget.”
As South Africa navigates these electoral challenges, the effectiveness of the new voting process and the adequacy of voter education remain under scrutiny, with budget constraints playing a critical role in the unfolding electoral landscape.
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