By Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele
The Law Society of South Africa was one of the observers in this year’s elections. It set up an observer team of 275 attorneys and candidate attorneys to observe the National Elections on 7 May 2014.
At the observation mission launch, the Co-chairperson of the LSSA, Max Boqwana said that the LSSA would deploy highly trained observers in voting stations and counting stations across the country. He added that lawyers who volunteered their services, would also be present at the elections results centre. ‘The right to vote is a badge of dignity. It is one of those rights that cut across a number of rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. This is one of the instances in the country where a pauper and a billionaire have the same right. It is one of the occasions where we can express true right of equality and association. It is one of those rights where we can determine who must govern our lives going forward,’ he said.
Prior to the elections the LSSA observers attended a full-day training workshop where they familiarised themselves with the relevant aspects of the Constitution, the Electoral Act 73 of 1998, the Electoral Commission Act 51 of 1996, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance adopted by the African Union in 2007, the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections as well as the role of and code of conduct for independent observers.
The observers assessed the electoral process with a particular emphasis on compliance with regulations, laws, procedures and codes of conduct. The observers submitted reports and the LSSA compiled and presented its observations to the Independent Electoral Commission. These reports are also available to the public.
Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele, nomfundo@derebus.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2014 (June) DR 12.
