ELECTION OBSERVATIONS FROM THE THREE CAPES

UNCLAS CAPE TOWN 000093


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SF
SUBJECT: ELECTION OBSERVATIONS FROM THE THREE CAPES


1. (U) Summary: On April 22, voters turned out in record numbers
throughout South Africa to cast their vote in the fourth democratic
election since the end of apartheid in 1994. Post had six election
monitoring teams covering the Eastern, Western and Northern Capes.
All teams reported that the election process was running smoothly
and no one reported any violence or intimidation at the polls.
There were some irregularities such as an unsealed ballot box and
parties campaigning too close to the polling stations, but overall
the election monitors were please with what they saw. The Cape Town
team spoke to Deputy President Mbete at a Rondebosch polling station
regarding the elections and her plans for the future. When asked how
the ANC was going to fulfill the mandate of the electorate, Mbete
said that it was necessary for all elected officials to "keep their
ear to the ground and get feedback" and listen to the needs and mood
of the people. She added that there was room for improvement within
the ANC and that the party would work harder to satisfy the
electorate. End summary.

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Eastern Cape
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2. (U) Post sent two teams to the Eastern Cape: one to cover Port
Elizabeth and the other to cover East London, the two biggest cities
in the Cape. The Port Elizabth team, headed by CG Mayberry was
greeted and assisted with great hospitality and excitement in Port
Elizabeth. The Team was briefed on election eve by Regional IEC
Supervisor Crosby Bacela and Municipal Election Official/City
Manager for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Graham Richards. Both
officials expressed great optimism for the voting process to go
smoothly and for the turnout to be extremely large. In addition to
three central business district (CBD) polling sites that the team
had preselected, the IEC officials provided four additional sites in
the suburbs and townships to provide greater diversity in the
observation process. They went further to provide a security guide
to travel with the team, and the SAPS also provided a police escort
to travel into the township of Madlakane. The staff and voters at
each site greeted the team warmly and thanked them for coming to
observe the election process.


3. (U) Overall the process was extremely efficient. At the three
CBD sites, approximately 220 people were in line, and two of the
three polling stations opened on time. DA was the sole party
represented outside of the first two stations visited and the only
one represented at the first four stations. ANC and COPE
representatives were prominently present in the townships. Party
agents were present in all polling stations without identifying
names tags, clothing or paraphernalia. Basse in the township of
Madlakane maintained the shortest line and was overall most
efficient, having processed more than 33 percent of registered
voters before 11AM. The overwhelming numbers of voters at all
stations were older with a notable surge in younger voter in
Ndzondeldelo.


4. (U) The anomalies in the Eastern Cape PE Region mirrored those
throughout the nation; long lines (Motherwell had up to a six and a
half hour wait and a very loud, agitated crowd); shortage of V-4
forms allowing voters to vote in province but out of precinct;
strict application of rules such as the number of party agents
allowed in the voting area at one time and the assistance of voters
in the polling booth. Great care was taken in the change and
securing of ballot boxes and police presence was evidenced at each
Qsecuring of ballot boxes and police presence was evidenced at each
station. As noted by the Municipal Electoral Official the success
of the process rested squally on the shoulders of the people
employed. While most were efficient and proactive, the team noted
the ineffectual attitude and behavior of the one Presiding Officer
in Motherwell, thus the long lines and the very long wait. Note:
As the Team entered the Motherwell area, the IEC Security Guide
proudly noted that Gerlad Yona was the youngest (38) Municipal
Councilor ever elected to that position. Later that night, Yona, a
member of COPE was murdered at his home. The speculation is that
the killing was politically motivated. End note.


5. (U) The East London team, with two vehicles, visited over 20
polling stations in and around East London, including 10 in the
adjacent township of Ndantsane and several in and around King
William's Town. There was remarkable similarity in all the polling
stations: voting was orderly, the IEC staff knew its business,
procedures were followed, voters were patient, and there were no
problems. Length of queues varied from station to station, and
generally increased as the day wore on, but the mood of the voters
was overwhelmingly pleasant. The team talked to several voters who
named unemployment, crime, and education as their chief concerns.

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Western Cape
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6. (U) Post had two teams covering the Western Cape. One team
visited polling stations in and around Cape Town, while the other
team covered Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington. Although lines
were long at all polling stations visited in the Cape Town area
there were no incidences of violence, intimidation or general
unrest, voters appeared calm and resigned to the fact that they
would be in line for a while. Outside a voting station in Nyanga,
voters had lined the sidewalk from 7:30 am and had already been
waiting for four hours to cast their votes.


7. (U) The readiness of various stations to handle the influx of
voters was varied. Stations in Mitchells Plain on the Cape flats
were very well organized as were those visited in the Southern
suburbs of Cape Town. Officials appeared to be well trained and in
control of their stations, lines were long, but orderly and calm. In
the townships of Nyanga and Masiphumelele officials were less well
organized and at one station in Nyanga the ballot boxes were not
sealed. When this was pointed out to the Presiding Officer she
indicated that she was under the impression that ballot boxes only
needed to be sealed once they were full. Each station visited had
five voting booths, in the busier stations such as Nyanga and others
this was clearly inadequate leading to long delays. All of the major
political parties had representatives at the stations and all
expressed satisfaction with the proceedings, even in the stations
where Consulate officials noted incorrect procedures being followed.
All parties adhered to the restrictions regarding campaigning
outside polling stations and most were more than 150 meters away
from the stations.


8. (U) Consulate officials observed Deputy President Baleka Mbete
cast her vote in Rondebosch. Despite her claim to the media that she
waited in line like any other voter, the team saw Mbete ushered to
the head of the line and processed before other voters who had been
waiting in line. Mbete addressed the media outside the station and
the PolAsst spoke to the Deputy President regarding the elections
and her plans for the future. When asked how the ANC was going to
fulfill the mandate of the electorate, Mbete said that it was
necessary for all elected officials to "keep their ear to the ground
and get feedback" and listen to the needs and mood of the people.
She added that there was room for improvement within the ANC and
that the party would work harder to satisfy the electorate. She also
indicated that the ANC's efforts would be hampered by the global
economic crises. On a personal note she gave the standard
politician's answer saying she had no personal ambitions and would
go wherever the party needed her. Mbete was accompanied by a group
of ANC supporters wearing ANC colors and carrying the ANC flag. As
soon as the media arrived they broke into song. The PolAsst
established that Mbete would tour polling stations around the city
and that the group of ANC supporters would stay with her for the day
following her from station to station.


9. (U) The Stellenbosch team visited nine polling stations and was
generally satisfied with what they saw. What was interesting is
that in some towns, there were long lines at polling stations and at
a different polling station only a block or two away there was no
line. At the Stellenbosch Traffic Department, two voters were
turned away at the polling station because they were not on the
voter's rolls even though both said they had registered with the
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The party agent for COPE
said that her party would be filing a complaint with the IEC in this
matter since at least one of the would be voters intended to vote
for COPE. The ANC, DA and COPE were present at every polling
Qfor COPE. The ANC, DA and COPE were present at every polling
station to try and sway voters before they entered the polls. The
ID and ACDP were also present at a few of the stations. No other
political parties were present in the Western Cape. Contrary to
what the other Western Cape team observed in Cape Town, the
Stellenbosch team noted that in all but two of the polling stations
all parties were campaigning right outside the IEC perimeter, not
150 meters away as required by the IEC. At the Paarl Town Hall,
Poloff asked the IEC official about this, who said he knew the
parties (ANC, COPE and DA) were violating the rules, but said he
would allow the parties to remain in their locations as long as no
one complained.


10. (U) Note. On April 23, PolAsst visited the local DA office in
the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town and spoke with DA representatives
regarding the election results. Officials remained cautiously
optimistic that the DA would win the Western Cape in its own right
without the need to form any coalition, although they did hasten to
add that there were still a number of votes to be counted. Even if
the DA is forced to form a coalition in order to win the Western
Cape, officials are happy with the results thus far, noting the
increase in its support base in the Western Cape. End note.

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Northern Cape
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11. (U) Post had two teams in the Northern Cape covering Kimberley
and Uppington. The Kimberley Team visited nine polling stations in
addition to the Independent Electoral Commission in Kimberley. One
of the nine stations the team visited was the Kimberley Correctional
Centre, where inmates were voting. Party Agents at Phatsimans
College of Education accused officials from the Dr. E. P. Lekhelap
polling station of sending their citizens to the Phatsimans polling
station. At Greenpoint station, the DA, AZIOZ and ANC party agents
accused the IEC officials of not following procedures with disabled
citizens and actually showed copies of complaints they had filed
with the IEC. There was heavy campaigning outside the polling
stations in the township. Party coverage was consistent throughout
the Province with the ANC and DA more prominent in the Township.
There were representatives of COPE, DA, ANC, ACDP, IFP, AZAPO and
KISS. The team spoke to voters throughout the day. There were some
first-time voters and most people felt the process was fair, smooth
and peaceful, although slow.


12. (U) Northern Cape Provincial ANC Chairman John Block spoke
briefly with Kimberley Election monitoring team members at the
Galeshewe Day Hospital polling station. Block noted that he was
very excited about elections underway and was especially pleased to
see so many young people voting. He added that their participation
demonstrates that they are engaged with what's happening in the
country and that they are not sitting on the periphery. Not
surprisingly, Block was very confident that the ANC would do well in
the elections. He predicted an eighty percent voter turnout. Note.
The television crew interviewing Block had uncontrolled access to
the polling station while taping and interviewing Block. The crew
was able to gain access without any presentation of documentation or
security control. At one point the cameraman was filming voters
while they voted. End note.


13. (U) Consulate observer team in Upington visited 14 polling
stations on election day in and around the municipality, including
the predominantly colored townships of Progress and Louisvale, and
the primarily black township of Paballelo. Consulate observers were
impressed with the conduct of the election, both by the IEC and
political parties. IEC officials at the polling stations said they
encountered only a few minor problems, most notably a couple of ID
scanners that needed to be replaced, but none had delayed openings.
In talking with parties outside the polls, none reported any
allegations of intimidation or vote-buying. The atmosphere outside
most of the polls was vibrant, with the ANC and COPE hiring sound
systems outside nearly every poll in the townships that pulsated
with music. Turnout on the very windy day appeared high; most polls
had processed several hundred voters by mid-morning, while queues of
over 100 voters were common.


14. (U) Comment: It did not appear that the IEC had adequately
examined the number of voters registered at each station and
adjusted the officials and voting equipment accordingly. Each
station was given the same number of staff and equipment regardless
of its size. Had an accurate assessment of the polling stations been
done beforehand delays and other administrative problems could have
been avoided. There was also a vast difference in competencies of
staff members at the different stations, at some stations staff
appeared untrained and ill prepared while other excelled. In the
future IEC training for these events will need to be re-evaluated.
End comment.