This was after that country’s apex court ordered the polls to go ahead after rejecting the Electoral Commission’s application to have them postponed due to COVID-19. As a result, what followed was voter apathy, which is an indictment on political parties especially the ruling African National Congress (ANC). According to South Africa’s Electoral Commission, 26.2 million people registered to vote but only 12.3 million cast their votes which translates to a voter turnout of 45.86%.
The figure is worse than the 57% of national voter turnout recorded during the local government polls in 2016. Although the situation happened in South Africa, it is a warning and wake up call to Botswana, which is on the verge of conducting local government by-elections to fill vacancies that exist in 11 wards across the country. At any moment, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Eric Molale could issue a writ of election authorising the by-elections to be held following the end of State of Emergency in September, which prohibited the holding of elections. South Africa and Botswana share more than a border but also have historical ties that can be traced back to the Apartheid era. The two’s political environments are almost similar and hence ideal to compare.
