South Africans Living Abroad Will be Casting Their Votes in a Few Hours
South Africans living outside the country will be voting tomorrow ahead of the most contested elections South Africa has had in years.
South Africa's high commissions, embassies as well as consulates all over the world are getting ready for elections which will take place tomorrow. These elections will coincide with the day that South Africa commemorates its first democratic elections as a nation—Freedom Day.
While the official national elections will only take place on the 8th May, the Saturday elections will allow for South Africans living abroad to vote for the political party they believe will improve the country and the lives of all its citizens.
South Africans living in the country may still be trying to decide on who exactly they'll be voting for in the national elections but for those living abroad, they have just a few hours to make that decision, if they haven't already.
According to eNCA, the highest voter turnout is expected to be in London where voting stations will be open at the South African High Commission from as early as seven in the morning. With as many as 121 stations all over the world, at least 30 000 South Africans have registered to vote.
IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, said:
"There's a solid logistical plan, managing the queues ensuring that all the logistical items arrive here in the right quantities and so on, the training of our own staff, there has been a test team doing work for a while now ensuring everyone understands the legal prescripts and we are happy with that."
SowetanLIVE reports that this year's voting process has been simplified as South Africans abroad will no longer have to complete a "special vote application form" before they cast their votes.
Currently, the three main political parties who are pulling out all the stops to win votes are the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The ANC has lost considerable support following years of rampant corruption although the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa has somewhat had a positive impact on the party's image.
Read more about the South African elections here.
