The election is over, let reconstruction and cohesion commence
9 May 2019
Election day has come and gone, and we are still standing. While the snaking queues and goodwill of previous years was not visible yesterday, early estimates indicate that of the 26.8 million people who were registered to vote, at least 65% turned up at polling stations.
In the absence of exit polls in South Africa, all eyes are on the IEC’s dashboards at its National Results Operation Centre in Pretoria. Here, journalists, party officials and electoral staff will be watching, collating, verifying and reporting on results streaming in from the 22 925 voting districts across the country.
Early trends predictably put the ANC in the lead, followed by the DA and EFF. Patricia de Lille’s GOOD Party is showing decent support for a new party, while other recent entrants in the electoral race seem to have fallen by the wayside. BLF have gathered a small handful of votes, with 30% of votes having been tallied to date.
The next few hours will bring joy and despair, and for some parties, a loss of their R200 000 registration fee. The key question for the parties likely to be voted into Parliament is that of what responsibility do they bear in reconstructing the shattered body politic of the country, and what will they do to reconstitute the frayed social contract.