SADC to Observe South Africa’s National and Provincial Elections
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is set to deploy an Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to monitor South Africa’s upcoming national and provincial elections on May 29th, 2024.
This initiative comes at the invitation of South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), reflecting a collaborative effort to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Chair of SADC’s political and security body, has appointed former Zambian Vice President Enoch Kavindele as Head of Mission.
The SEOM will be composed of both short-term and long-term observers, strategically deployed across all nine South African provinces.
Their mandate covers the pre-election, election day, and post-election phases, providing a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process.
The mission’s primary objective is to evaluate the elections against SADC’s principles for democratic elections.
Key areas of focus include citizen participation, the conduct of free and fair elections, equal media access for political parties, and respect for the election results.
This holistic approach aims to uphold democratic values and ensure that the electoral process is transparent and credible.
Preparations for the mission are well underway. SEOM members are currently participating in ICT-based refresher training sessions from May 17-20 at Birchwood Hotel, Boksburg.
The official SEOM launch is scheduled for May 22nd at Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, where voter education activities for stakeholders will also take place.
Source: SADC
