The determination of proportional representatives' seats at local government is undemocratic and actually infringes on the individual's rights to exercise their vote to choose the party they want to govern. In Johannesburg, voters were given two ballot papers when they arrived at the voting station.
They cast their vote – one for the councillor candidate and the other for a party proportional representative. In the outcome of the voting that took place, ballot papers were counted and the councillor candidate who received the most votes won the ward contested. However, when it came to party proportional representatives, a calculator was used to determine which party received how many seats irrespective of the counted ballot papers.
For example, the ANC received more votes for the proportional representatives than ActionSA's combined votes for ward and proportional representative; yet the ANC was allocated four seats and ActionSA was allocated 44 seats. ActionSA went on to claim that the people voted for it and formed part of the coalition government.
The question is what then happened to the counted ballot papers cast by the voters in Johannesburg? Clearly this is a subversion of their rights to vote because they did not vote for ActionSA in numbers. I wrote to the SA Human Rights Commission and received no response or acknowledgment. The parties that form these coalitions are doing so on the basis of a formula and not the democratic process of casting ballot papers in a box and them being counted on the basis of one man, one vote.
People also wake up in the morning, stand in queues in the sun for some considerable time and cast their votes, exercising their right to choose – only for their ballot papers to be cast aside for a formula that is undemocratic and a subversion of their rights. The parties who form the coalition have no mandate from the people to do so and have no right to claim so. These coalitions are based on narrow self-interest.
Thabo Motloung, by email
READER LETTER | Joburg local government elections results were rigged
Image: Veli Nhlapo
The determination of proportional representatives' seats at local government is undemocratic and actually infringes on the individual's rights to exercise their vote to choose the party they want to govern. In Johannesburg, voters were given two ballot papers when they arrived at the voting station.
They cast their vote – one for the councillor candidate and the other for a party proportional representative. In the outcome of the voting that took place, ballot papers were counted and the councillor candidate who received the most votes won the ward contested. However, when it came to party proportional representatives, a calculator was used to determine which party received how many seats irrespective of the counted ballot papers.
For example, the ANC received more votes for the proportional representatives than ActionSA's combined votes for ward and proportional representative; yet the ANC was allocated four seats and ActionSA was allocated 44 seats. ActionSA went on to claim that the people voted for it and formed part of the coalition government.
The question is what then happened to the counted ballot papers cast by the voters in Johannesburg? Clearly this is a subversion of their rights to vote because they did not vote for ActionSA in numbers. I wrote to the SA Human Rights Commission and received no response or acknowledgment. The parties that form these coalitions are doing so on the basis of a formula and not the democratic process of casting ballot papers in a box and them being counted on the basis of one man, one vote.
People also wake up in the morning, stand in queues in the sun for some considerable time and cast their votes, exercising their right to choose – only for their ballot papers to be cast aside for a formula that is undemocratic and a subversion of their rights. The parties who form the coalition have no mandate from the people to do so and have no right to claim so. These coalitions are based on narrow self-interest.
Thabo Motloung, by email
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