IEC struggles to stay online

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday September 25, 2014 17:46

The IEC website does not carry updates on the October 24 elections. The Facebook page was last updated on dissolution of Parliament by the president on September 10. There is no information, for an example on last Saturday’s presidential candidates, voters roll, polling stations, or the parliamentary and council nominations today.

There is no voter education for first time voters, majority of whom are youths active on social media.

In response to Mmegi inquiries, the IEC spokesperson Osupile Maroba admitted that their website has not been updated on election information.

“Of course our website has not been active but now it is active. We have not yet updated it but the information will be there very soon. But our Facebook page has been active. Batswana can raise their concerns or look for information on it. I hope our IT people are working on them,” he said.

With little or no information going out at this crunch hour, Batswana in the Diaspora complain that they cannot access anything about the elections, and thus cannot make decisions on where and how to vote.

But Maroba insisted that there was no crisis as Batswana outside the country can access any information from embassies.

Interestingly, in 2009, when on-line media, was less active, the IEC was utilising different mediums to reach out to all groups of the electorate.

Then posters were designed and distributed to encourage the electorates to register and vote in general election, something that IEC did not do this year because of cost cutting measures. Instead, the IEC was decrying lack of resources, with only P109 million to run elections.