* Voter turnout for the 2014 national elections was proportionally lower than the turnout from the 2009 elections. This was evident in all provinces. Nationally, of the 25,388,082 registered voters, only 18,654,771 voted. 6,733,311 did not vote. In the Emnambiti/Ladysmith Municipality area, of the 111,628 registered voters, 88,550 voted. Where were the other 23,078? That’s one in five people who did not vote. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
* The IEC has something to smile about; it can keep R3.6 million in its bank after as many as 18 parties failed to get a seat in the National Assembly. Parties are required to pay a non-refundable R200,000 deposit to contest the national elections if they fail to make it. This is from the national votes and excludes parties that will forfeit R45,000 after losing the provincial vote. A few parties have been bumped out of parliament, including the African People’s Convention, Azanian People’s Organisation, Pan Africanist Congress and Minority Front.
* The ANC confounded the prophets of doom and other political pundits by sweeping the board in last week’s elections (62.15%). Although their majority dipped lower than in 2009, a loud message reverberated throughout the land – the majority of voters do not care whose face is on ANC posters. The majority of voters voted with their hearts.
* Out of the 29 parties that contested the national elections, 13 have received sufficient votes to have representation in the National Assembly. The ANC received 249 seats, while the official opposition, the DA, received 89 seats. Newcomers EFF received 25, while the IFP received 10 and its breakaway party the NFP received six. The UDM and the Freedom Front Plus both received four seats, while COPE, AIC and ACDP secured three seats each. Agang SA got two seats. The African People’s Convention and the Pan Africanist Congress received one seat each.
* One of the biggest losers was COPE. In 2009, they accumulated over 1,311,027 votes. Last week, they accounted for a wee bit over 121,000. Power struggles between Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota and former party member Mbazima Shilowa seem to have negatively affected the once-promising party. They intend engaging with other political parties to “work together”.
* New kid on the block Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) went into these national elections facing significant headwinds that were bound to crush them. They managed to swim with the sharks, without being eaten alive. How they made it is a story that is subject to academic political studies. A few theories of political science were upheld throughout the campaign. For the EFF to achieve more than one million votes and establish a phenomenal national footprint in all nine provinces, it has to beat history. Throughout the campaign, Julius Malema was at his best – full of verve, humour and insight. Nothing escaped his acerbic wit and huggable charm. Whatever else, Julius Malema’s supporters and enemies have labelled him – he is the politico-comic mix who wielded a dual-edged sword of brilliance and satire. As most people have observed, the EFF didn’t just break through, but broke new ground!
* Back to reality! SANRAL says the tolls will be adjusted on May 24 in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). There will be adjustments on the N3 toll road between Johannesburg and Durban, on the N4 , as well as on the toll road sections of the N1, N2, N17 and R30. SANRAL says the average CPI adjustment for its toll tariffs is 5.8%.
* The happiest football supporters are from Manchester. Not necessarily Manchester City fans, mind you. United followers would rather hand the league championship to their ‘noisy neighbours’ than to arch-rivals Liverpool. The league championship would have been a perfect birthday gift for Sameera. Sincere commiserations to all Liverpool supporters.
* The Ladysmith Show is on from Thursday to Saturday. Be there!
