The South African 2024 May election's are not without their challenges. People in rural areas were not given the opportunity to vote. And according to an SABC interview, they will be left behind. The people that should be taking responsibility for this are partly the IEC, but especially the parties that passed this law. The law that was passed excludes these people, and the IEC would have to break the law in order to allow these South Africans to vote, according to the SABC.
Section 24(A) of the Independent Electoral Commission threatens exclusion for registered voters who may have to migrate from one place to another for unavoidable reasons and may compromise the right to franchise.
As it stands, Section 24(A) provides that “a voter may vote outside of the voting district where registered on voting day, May 29, 2024, but needs to notify the Electoral Commission before voting day during the period specified in the Election Timetable. That period for the 2024 elections is March 15, 2024, to May 17, 2024.”.
France 24 delves into the idea of what if the ANC does not win this years election?
Programs Coordinator at Rivonia Circle's Khanya Burns-Ncamashe says that young South Africans are interested in an equal, just society for everybody. The current democracy right now is not doing well to provide that. South African statistics will show that the country is currently sitting at 60% unemployment, and we have very high level of gender-based violence and crime in the country.
Young people are also sending out a huge message to many political parties to say that they know what their votes are worth, and you guys are not working hard enough in order to earn my vote. Burns-Ncamashe says that part of what is missing in South Africa and what is discouraging is that alot of citizens particularly young people are treated as though their vote matters befor the election but after the election there is no sense of their vote giving them power.
Many young people do not believe that voting will change anything for them at the moment, with politics being the way it is. They are not voting because they are tired of empty promises and false hope.
On Wednesday Switzerland condemned Israel's Sunday attack on Rafah. The Israeli military attacked a camp for displaced people, causing the deaths of dozens. Switzerland recalled in New York that all parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law. They are reiterating to the council its call for an immediate cease-fire, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, says the Swiss ministry.
Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, Gaza is mostly rubble while food, clean water, and medicine are being blocked. Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice. Rafah is where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6. We hear from Eu Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borell.
