South Africans abroad win right to vote
Bathandwa Mbola
13 March 2009
The Constitutional Court has ruled that South Africans living and working abroad who are registered voters can vote in the country's general elections in April, provided they notify SA's chief electoral officer of their intention to vote by 27 March.
Those who are not registered as voters will not be allowed to vote.
Registered voters abroad will be able to cast their ballots by special vote at any South African embassy, high commission or consulate abroad on 15 April. They will only able be able to to cast a national ballot; they will not be allowed to vote for places in the country's nine provincial legislatures.
In order to notify Chief Electoral Officer Pansy Tlakula of their intention to vote, South Africans abroad must send a completed VEC 10 form to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) by 27 March. More information can be obtained by e-mailing vec10@elections.org.za.
While an estimated two million South Africans are currently living abroad, the IEC is unclear on how many of them are on the country's voter's roll.
Tlakula said the IEC would be able implement Thursday's Constitutional Court ruling.
"I can assure South Africans we can pull that off," Tlakula said during an interview with eNews Channel. "As the IEC we always anticipate the outcome [of such court cases] and plan for the worst. We have made contingency plans."
The ruling came after the Freedom Front Plus, on behalf of a Pretoria teacher working overseas, made an application to the Pretoria High Court to allow South Africans abroad to be able to cast their vote.
The Pretoria High Court found certain provisions of the country's Electoral Act unconstitutional and therefore invalid, and the judgment was sent to the Constitutional Court for confirmation or otherwise.
Tlakula said that 5 000 South Africans abroad had already informed the IEC of their intention to vote overseas. She said this number would probably double.
Source: BuaNews
