11 October 2000
The countdown for the municipal elections begins in earnest today with the publication of the electoral timetable, the Chief Electoral Officer, Professor Mandla Mchunu, announced. "After the announcement of the date for the municipal elections yesterday the Electoral Commission met to approve the time table, which outlines the electoral process until voting day on 5 December 2000," he said.
He told a media briefing at Election House in Pretoria that the National Common Voters' Roll was closed for the municipal elections yesterday and will be certified tomorrow (Thurs).
All registered voters, whose names appeared on the National Common Voters' Roll, will be able to vote for the candidate or party of their choice at the voting station where they registered when voting takes place for the municipal elections on 5 December 2000.
On 5 December 2000 voters will go to the 15 001 voting stations in their new wards to vote for political parties and candidates to represent them in the 284 newly demarcated municipalities. Voters living in the six metropolitan councils - Tshwane, Johannesburg, East Rand, Cape Town, Nelson Mandela and Durban - will have two votes each.
One vote, based on the first-past-the-post principle, will count for the ward candidate of their choice and the second vote, based on the principle of proportional representation, will count for the party of their choice and will determine the overall composition of the councils.
In local councils with wards, voters will get three ballot papers - one vote for the ward candidate, one vote for a party and a third vote for proportional representation on the District Council.
In District Management Areas, which are entities managed by District Councils, voters will get two ballot papers to vote for that area's representative in the District Council and for the overall proportional composition of the District Council.
Professor Mchunu said the Electoral Commission will embark on a voter education drive to ensure that all registered voters know how to vote when they get to the voting station on voting day.
He also invited political parties and independent candidates to declare their intention to participate in the municipal elections and prepare their party lists and nominations for submission to the Electoral Commission by 19 October 2000. So far a total of 82 parties have registered with the Electoral Commission.
A total of approximately 50 million ballot papers will be printed locally under the supervision of the Municipal Electoral Officers.
The IEC will publish on 09 November 2000 the location of the fixed and mobile voting stations, Professor Mchunu said.
Professor Mchunu called on voters to call the Electoral Commission's toll free number on 0800-11-8000 from 08h00 to 18h00 on weekdays for further information on the municipal elections and to visit the website at www.elections.orga.za
ISSUED BY THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Pretoria
For more information please call Viveka Naicker on 082 927 9750
or Lydia