A total of 16300 applications for special votes for South Africans aboard have been approved by the IEC.

In London 7460 persons will be casting their votes, in Canberra 1228 and in Dubai 889. All the other voting points overseas have fewer voters than that in Dubai . The figures were released at the IEC during a meeting of a multi-party liaison committee yesterday.

The FF Plus succeeded last month with a court application before the Constitutional Court on behalf of a teacher who is at present working in England , Mr. Willem Richter.

The FF Plus MP, Willie Spies who also acted as lawyer on behalf of Richter and the FF Plus, said in a statement that the party is disappointed that thousands of South Africans who live in cities such as Perth, Sydney and Auckland, will not be able to vote as a result of the long distances to the capital cities where embassies and consulates are situated. The Department of Foreign Affairs was not capable to equip all its missions across the globe as voting points. Cities such as Perth , Sydney and Auckland only have honorary consulates and not fully accredited South Africans consulates.

"The most important is however that the ice has now been broken. We will in the new parliamentary term intensify our campaign to make it easier for South Africans all over the world to cast their votes", Mr. Spies said.

Our expectation is that the overseas votes will in future play a bigger role in the election results.

Statement issued by Freedom Front Plus MP, Willie Spies, April 2 2009 

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