As South Africa conducts its seventh democratic elections on Wednesday (29/5), voters will, for the first time, receive three ballots instead of two.

They will use these ballots to choose a political party or an independent candidate to represent them in the National Assembly and their Provincial Legislature, said the IEC.

Since democracy was established 30 years ago in 1994, the ANC has been the dominant party in the Northern Cape. In 2019, the ruling party had 64,40% support among voters.

“The weight of votes in the Northern Cape lies in the Galeshewe area in the Sol Plaatje municipality and the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality in the Kuruman area,” said political analyst André Duvenhage.

He added in Kuruman the EFF is dominant and the ANC has started reaching out to local traditional leaders.

“We find ourselves in a situation where the ANC will get just under or just over 50% support, while other parties get slightly more or less than 50%,” he said.

Under these circumstances, the odds are high that the ANC and the EFF may collaborate. Other parties such as the DA, a strong contender, are also in the mix.

“My view is that the vote percentage is one matter, but the presence will ultimately be decisive. With a near 50/50 split, it could result in 15 representatives each from the ANC and opposition parties, leading the ANC to potentially seek alliances,” he predicted.

“The IEC in the province started off very well this morning with area managers collecting the material to use at the stations today. They were safely accompanied by the SAPS to ensure that there is confidence in the way in which we are going to do business today,” said Bonolo Modise, Provincial Electoral Officer of the Northern Cape.

Voters can cast their ballots at 730 voting stations across the Northern Cape, including 72 stations in the Sol Plaatje Municipality, which includes the capital, Kimberley.

Before heading out, ensure you carry a valid ID – be it your green bar-coded ID book, Smartcard ID, or a temporary ID certificate. Note that passports and driver’s licenses will not be accepted.

Voting stations are officially open and will close tonight at 21:00.

OFM News/Heidrè Malgas cg