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Catholic Bishops Laud South Africa's “overwhelmingly” Free and Fair Polls

Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). Credit: SACBC

By Silas Isenjia

Johannesburg, 03 June, 2024 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).

Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) have lauded South Africa for conducting free and fair elections despite experiencing “minor issues” during the voting process.

General elections in South Africa were conducted on May 29 to elect a new National Assembly and the provincial legislatures in each of the country’s nine provinces. This was the seventh general election conducted under universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.

In their statement on Monday, June 3, SACBC members, who include Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa, acknowledged with appreciation the people’s voice on how they want to be governed.

Joining other observers in the country including the Southern African Development Community (SADEC) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the Bishops said, “This election has been overwhelmingly free and fair.”

“While minor issues have been noted, these have not compromised the overall integrity of the polls,” SACBC members added in the statement that their President, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, signed.

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They said that the election was “a crucial event in which the people of South Africa have once again voiced their preferences on how they want to be served.”

In the one-page statement, the Bishops also laud the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for “demonstrating professionalism and efficiency in facilitating elections”.

“We also thank the political parties for their vigilance in noting some concerns during the voting process and the IEC’s willingness to address these objections as provided by the Act governing the IEC,” they say.

The Catholic Bishops have also urged all parties in the country to shun utterances that are likely to incite violence among their supporters.

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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