Election Monitoring in SA – Statement by Archbishop Makgoba

The Election Monitoring Network in South Africa held a press conference, where Archbishop Thabo Makgoba made a statement on behalf of the group. The environment in South Africa is currently mostly peaceful, however there are hotspots and areas that need to be closely monitored in the lead up to the elections, to ensure that stability and [...]

Why You Should Vote

Will voters who are disappointed in politics and government feel powerless and choose to stay at home? Or rather, will they turn out in high numbers, bolstering the opposition vote? Voter turnout will be a crucial factor in this year’s election results and this Brief considers reasons why voters may – or may not – turn out on Election Day, also looking at voter registration and turnout in past elections. In 2009, the voters roll is larger than it has ever been before – 23 million voters – and this growth has been attributed to new and young voters. What does this mean for the electoral outcome? Will you vote on 22nd April?

Afrobarometer Research Speaks for Itself

- By Bob Mattes -
The Afrobarometer is an award-winning international research project that collects data on Africans’ attitudes and opinions about democracy and economics.  Now conducted in 20 countries, and with an unprecedented four waves of data collected in 12 countries, no social science project has ever approached its scope on this continent.  The project [...]

Why has Politics got such a bad name?

Many people see “politics” as a nasty concept, a word with all kinds of negative associations. However, the true root of politics, power and citizenship should be reclaimed by citizens.

Monitoring Elections – Brief 1

The 2009 election is set to be unprecedented in South African history as rival political parties canvas the same constituencies. We call on all South Africans to make the elections work. The right to free and fair elections was won through a long and hard struggle, for which many people fought and sacrificed their lives. We [...]

Managing Conflict in Elections

South Africans are keen to have a peaceful, free and fair election. The Election Monitoring Network has developed a toolkit for organisations who want to contribute to the prevention, management and mitigation of violence over the election period.

Elections and Human Rights

While the definition of human rights seems simple and makes perfect sense to most of us, this unfortunately does not mean that all people everywhere have enjoyed equal rights through the ages. Human rights have always been, and continue to be, at the root of many struggles for national, group and personal freedom. As elections [...]

What should we be discussing as we head to the polls?

The upcoming 2009 elections are exciting – uncertainty is in the air and people aren’t quite sure what to expect.  So we ask – what should these elections be about? What are the questions and concerns that South Africans should be discussing as they head to the polls on 22 April?
This brief looks at the [...]

Citizens Concerns About Upcoming Elections

The campaign for the 2009 South African election has been more competitive than we’ve seen before. The formation of the Congress of the People (COPE) has upped the stakes, and the country has witnessed some acrimonious exchanges between COPE and the African National Congress (ANC).  There have also been reports of disrupted meetings and allegations of voter [...]

AIDS Sweeps Through Councils

Municipalities need good knowledge and skills to deliver quality service to local communities. A recent Idasa study warns that loss of skills as a result of AIDS, job migration and increasing demands for service delivery may all undermine service delivery. In addition to losing public representatives and civil servants, South Africa is losing 28 000 [...]