IEC alarmed about declining voter turnout in South Africa
The Independent Electoral Commission has raised an alarm over the continued decline in voter participation in South Africa.
Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner Masego Shiburi told a joint sitting of the Home Affairs and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) portfolio committees that weakening public trust in state institutions is a major driver behind the drop in participation.
He says the trust deficit is now spilling over to the IEC itself.
“That trust also becomes universal; the trust also extends to the election management body like the IEC, so we suffer collateral damage from the loss of trust in key political institutions. You will see that crack in the electoral commission, and if you do not trust an institution, chances are you are unlikely to respond to their messaging and unlikely to heed what they say.” – Reporting by Mkhokheli Bandla.