When asked whether elections in South Africa are free and fair, a majority (61%) of registered voters agreed, while 20% disagreed. (A further 19% neither agreed nor disagreed or indicated that they did not know.)

This opinion should be seen against the background of the wave of service delivery protests happening in the run-up to the national election on 8th May.  It is not a new phenomenon that voters try to bring their plight to the attention of political leaders, but it is evident that different forms of protest, and sometimes even violent protest, are gaining traction as legitimate ways of political participation amongst South Africans, at least 11 million of whom have not registered to vote in the upcoming elections.

Looking at the opinions of registered voters in each of the provinces, it is very interesting that the highest level of trust in the integrity of elections is expressed by registered voters in the Western Cape, the only province currently under the control of an opposition party.

The argument that rural voters are less concerned about the fairness of an election than those in metro areas also do not hold sway:  two-thirds of voters in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo (both mainly rural provinces) agree with voters in Gauteng and the Western Cape that elections in South Africa are free and fair.

 

Full Statement Attached

 

Issued by IPSOS