Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
24 May 2024 | 13:15 CAT
2 min read

Against the backdrop of growing election anticipation, the organization Defend Our Democracy conducted its final pre-election press briefing in Johannesburg. As the nation prepares to head to the polls next Wednesday, analysts dissected key questions surrounding the elections, including the likelihood of the ANC retaining its majority and the prospects of emerging political parties.

According to Reverend Moss Ntlha, the chairperson of the movement’s national committee, over 600 observers from the Defend Our Democracy movement are prepared to help ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections.

The Election Watch campaign, launched last November, emphasises the non-partisan role of civil society in safeguarding the electoral process.

With 689 observers accredited by the Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), the movement aims to strengthen its efforts for future elections.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Defend Our Democracy’s Andries Sibanyoni, highlighted their role is to ensure the credibility of the elections and the integrity and reliability of the results.

“The pool of observers will play a key role in their respective communities. They will be in their polling stations from 6:30 am, so when the polling stations open at 7 am, everything is set with the ballot papers stamped and the voting boxes ready,” he said.

Various initiatives, including provincial roadshows, media engagements, and training sessions, have been conducted to enhance readiness. Additionally, the development of an app and collaboration with the IEC is underway to facilitate observer reporting on Election Day.

“We are doing one last round of general training this weekend to familiarise the observers with the app, which will allow all smartphone observers to take photos and videos of incidents and compile reports for our data analysts centre, based in Emmarentia,” said Sibanyoni.

Sibanyoni emphasised that one key aspect of Defend Our Democracy’s role is ensuring their availability from the beginning to the end of the counting process. “This ensures that we have a comprehensive understanding of the results from various voting stations across the country, ensuring smooth operations throughout,” he said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Andries Sibanyoni, here.