BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The success of the South African national elections that have taken place last month have been hailed in Eswatini.
The elections were described as being free, fair, and credible by Electoral Commission of Namibia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Petrus Shaama. This was yesterday (Tuesday, July 9, 2024) at Hilton Garden Inn, Mbabane. This was during a meeting by the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) of Southern Africa.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) from Eswatini is currently hosting electoral commissions from all countries within the SADC region. The meeting is intended to review the national elections that took place in different countries within the SADC region. The EBC is a member of the ECF of Southern Africa. In his opening remarks, Shaama praised the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa’s CEO Sy Mamabolo and his team from the commission for ensuring that the elections were successful.
In the elections, the African National Congress (ANC) was able to win the elections, but had to form the Government of National Unity (GNU) with other political parties in South Africa, such as the Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and the Good Party. The ANC got into the GNU because it had attained a vote percentage which was below 50 percent.
Speaking to journalists during the event, EBC Communications Officer Mbonisi Bhembe said the meeting was meant to review the national elections that had taken place in different countries within the SADC region. Bhembe stated that such meetings were convened twice a year within SADC, with the first one having taken place in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Bhembe said all the 15 Member States of the SADC region had convened at Hilton Garden Inn. He said yesterday was the meeting of the CEOs of the commissions. He said today would be a meeting of the chairpersons of the commissions.
