Thank you very much for joining us today.

I am accompanied by my Cabinet colleagues.

Introduction

South Africa will hold its fifth democratic national and provincial elections on 7 May 2014.

As government, we believe this is a day which all South Africans should look forward to with positive anticipation and excitement in a period in which we are celebrating 20 years of freedom. This freedom was attained through struggle which resulted in millions of South Africans lining up in April 1994 to elect the first democratic, inclusive, non-racial government in our history.

We recall with fondness our beloved Madiba casting his ballot in KwaZulu-Natal on 27 April 1994 while millions of patriotic South Africans waited patiently in long queues around the country to vote in a free South Africa for the first time.

Sadly, this will be the first elections without the founding President of our democracy. The best way to honour Madiba’s legacy will be for all of us to go out in numbers and exercise our hard-won democratic right to vote that South Africans sacrificed so much for.

In this year of our fifth general election, we can confidently declare that South Africa is a much better place to live in than it was before 1994 and that South Africa has a good story to tell. That good story extends to the management of elections, which since 1994 have laid the foundations for the stability of our democracy and our adherence to the Constitution as the supreme law of the country.

We have put all measures in place to ensure that we can have a safe and secure election. We will not allow anyone to derail the elections or prevent anyone from exercising his or her constitutionally enshrined right to vote.

In 2014, the nation should again welcome and encourage young South Africans – and especially those who will be voting for the first time – to take seriously their opportunity and responsibility to vote.

Government commends all first-time voters – alongside other voters – who have registered to vote on May 7 and as a nation we can look forward together to shaping the future of our beautiful country.

As a nation, we have worked hard to build a peaceful and stable South Africa from the ruins of apartheid violence, divisions and hatred. Therefore let us make the upcoming election a vibrant, robust, exciting, peaceful and most successful one.

Government wishes to remind all South Africans that special votes will take place on 5 and 6 May 2014. We remind the elderly, people living with disabilities and all those who are unable to be at their voting districts on election day to take advantage of the special vote registration process. The deadline for applications for special votes is 17 April 2014.

Government reassures all South Africans and the international community that all preparations have been made to ensure a peaceful, safe, free and fair election.

We now wish to turn to some of the measures government has taken to ensure that the election period and processes proceed peacefully and smoothly.

By their very nature, elections are characterised by a robust political contestation as is normal in any democracy, but it is not a time for conflict.

All South Africans should see this as an opportunity to entrench the peace and stability we have enjoyed for 20 years, as we test one another’s ideas and ideologies in a spirit of healthy competition.

Government will not tolerate any form of violence, intimidation, incitement, public disorder, vandalism, or intolerance. Government will deal with anyone who seeks to derail the election process.

Work has been done at national and provincial level between various departments and the Electoral Commission (IEC) through the NATJOINTS to ensure that the 2014 national and provincial elections take place in a safe and secure environment.

Home Affairs

The Department of Home Affairs provides the necessary documentation to enable South Africans to exercise their democratic right to vote.

Home Affairs offices are open on a daily basis for all eligible voters to access their identity documentation. The offices will also be open from seven in the morning on election day to issue IDs, smart ID cards and temporary identity certificates.

Government calls on all South Africans who have applied but not yet collected their identity documents to do so immediately. We wish to make a special appeal to all South Africans not to wait until the last minute and to act immediately to prevent disappointment. Home Affairs has 122 000 uncollected IDs and 23 000 uncollected smart card IDs.

In addition, Home Affairs has 117 mobile offices to provide extra capacity to process applications. All border posts will be open and functioning on election day to allow South Africans to come home to vote.

Defence

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) stands ready to provide transport and logistics as with previous elections. In addition, the SANDF will also be on standby to provide any support that may be required by the Police and the IEC.

SAPS

The South African Police Service (SAPS) will continue to deal with their normal policing functions and ensure peace and stability.

The police, working with relevant departments and law enforcement agencies, have made the necessary plans to safeguard the election process. The National Joints Operational and Intelligence Structure will continue to monitor the country and ensure sufficient deployment of capacity to deal with any contingency.

The scale of deployments at each voting station will be determined by the risk assessments conducted by the security structures. In this period, dedicated investigative capacity and docket management for criminal matters related to elections will be speedily managed by dedicated detective teams and the Hawks/Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).

Our law enforcement agencies will do everything in their power to ensure our elections are free from incidents of intimidation and violence. The law enforcement agencies will consequently act decisively and without hesitation against anyone found to intimidate or incite any person(s) or perpetrate violent acts during the elections. The Inter-Ministerial Committee will, starting this week, visit all hotspots in the country to stabilise them ahead of the election.

We will ensure that all citizens are able to vote safely without intimidation.

Department of Justice And Constitutional Development, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Legal Aid SA

In order to ensure speedy justice, the Police (detective services), the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the National Prosecuting Authority and Legal Aid SA will ensure that all election-related cases are prioritised and speedily finalised. In this regard a JCPS Election Protocol has been put in place to ensure appropriate coordination, cooperation and interaction between the relevant criminal justice system role players.

Once cases have been fully investigated and are trial-ready they will be prioritised in the relevant courts. Where required, the additional capacity provided to the normal courts through the additional district and regional backlog courts will be used to help fast track these matters.

Correctional Services

All 155 000 inmates in 242 Correctional facilities across the country are registered to vote. The IEC, working with the Department of Correctional Services, has made the necessary arrangements to ensure that they exercise their democratic right to vote.Departm

Departmt of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)

Government is encouraged by the positive response from the approximately 26 000 South Africans living abroad who have registered to vote in the upcoming elections.

The South African Government and the IEC, working through our missions abroad, are ready to receive potential voters at South Africa’s 124 embassies, High Commissions or Consulates-General located in 108 countries on the 30th of April 2014.

South Africa is a sovereign country guided by the prescripts in its Constitution and international law. To this effect, we have invited a number of multilateral organisations to be part of the observer missions in South Africa. Amongst those who have been invited, are the African Union, United Nations, the Commonwealth, European Union and the Southern African Development Community.

DIRCO will brief members of the Diplomatic Corps on 22 April 2014 about the upcoming elections.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we appeal to all South Africans, particularly the youth to go out on election day and exercise their democratic right to vote and fulfil their patriotic duty. Government will not tolerate any threats by anyone and South Africa shall remain a beacon of democracy, united in its diversity.

Government urges all South Africans to go out in their numbers and vote to strengthen our democracy and determine their future. Government would like to reassure South Africans and the international community that we will have peaceful, safe, free and fair elections.