Issued by: SA Communication Service
MEDIA RELEASE BY MINISTER CHRIS FISMER, CHAIRPERSON OF THE PRESIDENTIAL TASK GROUP ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS IN KWAZULU-NATAL, ISSUED IN DURBAN ON FRIDAY 31 MAY 1996
When the Cabinet decided on 6 May 1996 to postpone the local government elections in KwaZulu-Natal for a month, it also decided to accept the other recommendations of the report of the Presidential Task Group (the PTG). We sincerely believe that this has gone a long way towards lowering the political temperature in the province.
One of the approved recommendations was that the PTG should continue to function. The first meeting after the Cabinet decision, was held on 14 May, and the PTG has been meeting on a weekly basis and will continue to do so until after the elections. All of the political parties in KwaZulu-Natal are represented on the PTG at a senior level, and are actively involved. In this way, problems can be identified and addressed on a multi-party basis. The commitment of all parties to hold successful elections throughout the province on 26 June 1996 is very evident, which is a source of great encouragement. The primary purpose of the PTG is to promote a climate of free political activity and free and fair elections.
Another important aspect which has been receiving ongoing attention is the strengthening of security, particularly in respect of political activity, electioneering and the whole election process. I am very happy to report that much progress has been made. The heads of the Security Forces in the province are in attendance at all meeting of the PTG. A security and safety plan for the period prior to the elections, for the poll and the count, and for the period following the elections has been finalised and is being implemented. Arrangements have been made for the deployment of large numbers of security staff, both police and SANDF, including from outside the province. We are pleased to give the assurance that the KwaZulu-Natal Security Committee (including the SANDF and SAPS) is satisfied and confident that the arrangements for making the elections safe for everybody are well in hand. PTG meetings are also used to enable political parties to raise issues of concern from a security point of view, and for the Security Forces to raise points relating to the behaviour of parties and individuals. The PTG is satisfied that the Security Forces are in a sufficient state of preparedness to deal with problems that may arise.
A further important recommendation of the PTG report which was approved by Cabinet was that monitoring mechanisms be created from civil society with the function to promote free political activity and electioneering in all areas. It was also decided that the Co-Chairpersons of the Local Government Elections Task Group (the ETG), Dr F van Zyl Slabbert and Mr Khehla Shubane should play an active role in this regard. There are a number of voluntary civil society initiatives which are already functioning well. One is the ECCO Commission which consists of prominent persons from the churches and the business and judicial sectors, and is concerned with the promotion of the observance of the Electoral Code of Conduct. What makes the Commission particularly significant and valuable is that all of the political parties in the province have publicly committed themselves to the Code of Conduct and to the Commission's role in respect of it's observance. The Commission has indicated that it feels positive about working closely with the ETG and has invited the ETG Co-Chairpersons to attend all meetings of the Commission, which take place twice week.
The ECCO Commission will work in co-operation with all sectors of civil society, and a meeting of representatives of NGOs was held on Friday, 24 May. The NGOs expressed their support of the Commission and committed their mediation and conflict resolution services. Other bodies with which contact has been made are Ukuthula (Dr Michael Cassidy) and the Electoral College of Congress of NGOs. The PTG has mandated the ETG Co-Chairpersons to liaise with the ECCO Commission and the other civil society initiatives to dovetail with them, and if necessary capacitate them. Optimal use will be made of the grassroots networks of the many parties involved. I am confident that this voluntary and far-reaching effort will play a major role in diffusing tensions and to pave the way for a peaceful election process.
Approval has also been given for increasing the capacity of the Election Tribunals. The membership of each Tribunal is being increased from one to three persons, and every effort is being made to encourage persons of stature to serve on the Tribunals, which will operate pro-actively and on a full-time basis. Contraventions of the Code of Conduct which is applicable to all registered parties and candidates will be dealt with quickly and firmly.
On the technical side, a further window of opportunity was created to enable unregistered voters to be included in a Supplementary roll and to be able to vote on 26 June. A concession has also been made to registered parties by making provision for candidates who were on the original party list and were disqualified because their name did not appear on the certified roll, to be reinstated on the party list if their names are included in the supplementary roll.
It was agreed that all political parties and election officials involved in the election process should use the existing regulations and procedures to identify and eliminate mistakes in voters' rolls and to address registrations with which they do not agree. This entails making use of Regulation 12C to remove duplications and to rectify spelling and typing mistakes, or by way of application to Court. Good progress has been made in identifying and in correcting mistakes and irregularities. The PTG also decided to enhance the checking of voters' rolls by appointing independent computer experts, and has commissioned the ETG Co-Chairpersons to make necessary arrangements with the assistance of the provincial administration and inputs by PTG members.
With all of these measures and the excellent work done by the election staff in the 75 urban and rural transitional authorities where elections are to take place on 26 June, voters have every reason to feel confident and comfortable about the election process, and free and safe to exercise their democratic right to vote to bring in the first democratic local government structures in KwaZulu-Natal on that day, and finally complete the democratisation of our country which started so well in April 1994. The PTG is of the view that there is a dramatic decline in the political temperature. We predict the situation to continue to improve over the next few weeks.
The PTG apploads the initiative taken by the ANC and IFP to display the much required leadership in taking concrete steps towards normalising the political atmosphere in the province.