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UNCLAS CAPE TOWN 000093 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SF
SUBJECT: ELECTION OBSERVATIONS FROM THE THREE CAPES 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: On April 22, voters turned out in record numbers 
throughout South Africa to cast their vote in the fourth democratic 
election since the end of apartheid in 1994.  Post had six election 
monitoring teams covering the Eastern, Western and Northern Capes. 
All teams reported that the election process was running smoothly 
and no one reported any violence or intimidation at the polls. 
There were some irregularities such as an unsealed ballot box and 
parties campaigning too close to the polling stations, but overall 
the election monitors were please with what they saw.  The Cape Town 
team spoke to Deputy President Mbete at a Rondebosch polling station 
regarding the elections and her plans for the future. When asked how 
the ANC was going to fulfill the mandate of the electorate, Mbete 
said that it was necessary for all elected officials to "keep their 
ear to the ground and get feedback" and listen to the needs and mood 
of the people. She added that there was room for improvement within 
the ANC and that the party would work harder to satisfy the 
electorate. End summary. 
 
---------------------- 
Eastern Cape 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Post sent two teams to the Eastern Cape: one to cover Port 
Elizabeth and the other to cover East London, the two biggest cities 
in the Cape.  The Port Elizabth team, headed by CG Mayberry was 
greeted and assisted with great hospitality and excitement in Port 
Elizabeth.    The Team was briefed on election eve by Regional IEC 
Supervisor Crosby Bacela and Municipal Election Official/City 
Manager for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Graham Richards.  Both 
officials expressed great optimism for the voting process to go 
smoothly and for the turnout to be extremely large.  In addition to 
three central business district (CBD) polling sites that the team 
had preselected, the IEC officials provided four additional sites in 
the suburbs and townships to provide greater diversity in the 
observation process.   They went further to provide a security guide 
to travel with the team, and the SAPS also provided a police escort 
to travel into the township of Madlakane.  The staff and voters at 
each site greeted the team warmly and thanked them for coming to 
observe the election process. 
 
¶3. (U) Overall the process was extremely efficient.  At the three 
CBD sites, approximately 220 people were in line, and two of the 
three polling stations opened on time.  DA was the sole party 
represented outside of the first two stations visited and the only 
one represented at the first four stations.  ANC and COPE 
representatives were prominently present in the townships.  Party 
agents were present in all polling stations without identifying 
names tags, clothing or paraphernalia.  Basse in the township of 
Madlakane maintained the shortest line and was overall most 
efficient, having processed more than 33 percent of registered 
voters before 11AM.  The overwhelming numbers of voters at all 
stations were older with a notable surge in younger voter in 
Ndzondeldelo. 
 
¶4. (U) The anomalies in the Eastern Cape PE Region mirrored those 
throughout the nation; long lines (Motherwell had up to a six and a 
half hour wait and a very loud, agitated crowd); shortage of V-4 
forms allowing voters to vote in province but out of precinct; 
strict application of rules such as the number of party agents 
allowed in the voting area at one time and the assistance of voters 
in the polling booth.  Great care was taken in the change and 
securing of ballot boxes and police presence was evidenced at each 
Qsecuring of ballot boxes and police presence was evidenced at each 
station.  As noted by the Municipal Electoral Official the success 
of the process rested squally on the shoulders of the people 
employed.  While most were efficient and proactive, the team noted 
the ineffectual attitude and behavior of the one Presiding Officer 
in Motherwell, thus the long lines and the very long wait.  Note: 
As the Team entered the Motherwell area, the IEC Security Guide 
proudly noted that Gerlad Yona was the youngest (38) Municipal 
Councilor ever elected to that position.  Later that night, Yona, a 
member of COPE was murdered at his home.  The speculation is that 
the killing was politically motivated. End note. 
 
¶5. (U) The East London team, with two vehicles, visited over 20 
polling stations in and around East London, including 10 in the 
adjacent township of Ndantsane and several in and around King 
William's Town.  There was remarkable similarity in all the polling 
stations: voting was orderly, the IEC staff knew its business, 
procedures were followed, voters were patient, and there were no 
problems. Length of queues varied from station to station, and 
generally increased as the day wore on, but the mood of the voters 
was overwhelmingly pleasant.  The team talked to several voters who 
named unemployment, crime, and education as their chief concerns. 
 
------------------------ 
Western Cape 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Post had two teams covering the Western Cape.  One team 
visited polling stations in and around Cape Town, while the other 
team covered Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington.  Although lines 
were long at all polling stations visited in the Cape Town area 
there were no incidences of violence, intimidation or general 
unrest, voters appeared calm and resigned to the fact that they 
would be in line for a while. Outside a voting station in Nyanga, 
voters had lined the sidewalk from 7:30 am and had already been 
waiting for four hours to cast their votes. 
 
¶7. (U) The readiness of various stations to handle the influx of 
voters was varied. Stations in Mitchells Plain on the Cape flats 
were very well organized as were those visited in the Southern 
suburbs of Cape Town. Officials appeared to be well trained and in 
control of their stations, lines were long, but orderly and calm. In 
the townships of Nyanga and Masiphumelele officials were less well 
organized and at one station in Nyanga the ballot boxes were not 
sealed. When this was pointed out to the Presiding Officer she 
indicated that she was under the impression that ballot boxes only 
needed to be sealed once they were full. Each station visited had 
five voting booths, in the busier stations such as Nyanga and others 
this was clearly inadequate leading to long delays. All of the major 
political parties had representatives at the stations and all 
expressed satisfaction with the proceedings, even in the stations 
where Consulate officials noted incorrect procedures being followed. 
All parties adhered to the restrictions regarding campaigning 
outside polling stations and most were more than 150 meters away 
from the stations. 
 
¶8. (U) Consulate officials observed Deputy President Baleka Mbete 
cast her vote in Rondebosch. Despite her claim to the media that she 
waited in line like any other voter, the team saw Mbete ushered to 
the head of the line and processed before other voters who had been 
waiting in line. Mbete addressed the media outside the station and 
the PolAsst spoke to the Deputy President regarding the elections 
and her plans for the future. When asked how the ANC was going to 
fulfill the mandate of the electorate, Mbete said that it was 
necessary for all elected officials to "keep their ear to the ground 
and get feedback" and listen to the needs and mood of the people. 
She added that there was room for improvement within the ANC and 
that the party would work harder to satisfy the electorate. She also 
indicated that the ANC's efforts would be hampered by the global 
economic crises. On a personal note she gave the standard 
politician's answer saying she had no personal ambitions and would 
go wherever the party needed her. Mbete was accompanied by a group 
of ANC supporters wearing ANC colors and carrying the ANC flag. As 
soon as the media arrived they broke into song. The PolAsst 
established that Mbete would tour polling stations around the city 
and that the group of ANC supporters would stay with her for the day 
following her from station to station. 
 
¶9.  (U) The Stellenbosch team visited nine polling stations and was 
generally satisfied with what they saw.  What was interesting is 
that in some towns, there were long lines at polling stations and at 
a different polling station only a block or two away there was no 
line.  At the Stellenbosch Traffic Department, two voters were 
turned away at the polling station because they were not on the 
voter's rolls even though both said they had registered with the 
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).  The party agent for COPE 
said that her party would be filing a complaint with the IEC in this 
matter since at least one of the would be voters intended to vote 
for COPE.  The ANC, DA and COPE were present at every polling 
Qfor COPE.  The ANC, DA and COPE were present at every polling 
station to try and sway voters before they entered the polls.  The 
ID and ACDP were also present at a few of the stations.  No other 
political parties were present in the Western Cape.  Contrary to 
what the other Western Cape team observed in Cape Town, the 
Stellenbosch team noted that in all but two of the polling stations 
all parties were campaigning right outside the IEC perimeter, not 
150 meters away as required by the IEC.  At the Paarl Town Hall, 
Poloff asked the IEC official about this, who said he knew the 
parties (ANC, COPE and DA) were violating the rules, but said he 
would allow the parties to remain in their locations as long as no 
one complained. 
 
¶10. (U) Note.  On April 23, PolAsst visited the local DA office in 
the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town and spoke with DA representatives 
regarding the election results. Officials remained cautiously 
optimistic that the DA would win the Western Cape in its own right 
without the need to form any coalition, although they did hasten to 
add that there were still a number of votes to be counted.  Even if 
the DA is forced to form a coalition in order to win the Western 
Cape, officials are happy with the results thus far, noting the 
increase in its support base in the Western Cape. End note. 
 
------------------------ 
Northern Cape 
------------------------ 
 
¶11. (U) Post had two teams in the Northern Cape covering Kimberley 
and Uppington.  The Kimberley Team visited nine polling stations in 
addition to the Independent Electoral Commission in Kimberley. One 
of the nine stations the team visited was the Kimberley Correctional 
Centre, where inmates were voting.  Party Agents at Phatsimans 
College of Education accused officials from the Dr. E. P. Lekhelap 
polling station of sending their citizens to the Phatsimans polling 
station.  At Greenpoint station, the DA, AZIOZ and ANC party agents 
accused the IEC officials of not following procedures with disabled 
citizens and actually showed copies of complaints they had filed 
with the IEC.  There was heavy campaigning outside the polling 
stations in the township.  Party coverage was consistent throughout 
the Province with the ANC and DA more prominent in the Township. 
There were representatives of COPE, DA, ANC, ACDP, IFP, AZAPO and 
KISS.  The team spoke to voters throughout the day.  There were some 
first-time voters and most people felt the process was fair, smooth 
and peaceful, although slow. 
 
¶12.  (U) Northern Cape Provincial ANC Chairman John Block spoke 
briefly with Kimberley Election monitoring team members at the 
Galeshewe Day Hospital polling station.  Block noted that he was 
very excited about elections underway and was especially pleased to 
see so many young people voting.  He added that their participation 
demonstrates that they are engaged with what's happening in the 
country and that they are not sitting on the periphery.  Not 
surprisingly, Block was very confident that the ANC would do well in 
the elections.  He predicted an eighty percent voter turnout.  Note. 
 The television crew interviewing Block had uncontrolled access to 
the polling station while taping and interviewing Block.  The crew 
was able to gain access without any presentation of documentation or 
security control.  At one point the cameraman was filming voters 
while they voted. End note. 
 
¶13. (U) Consulate observer team in Upington visited 14 polling 
stations on election day in and around the municipality, including 
the predominantly colored townships of Progress and Louisvale, and 
the primarily black township of Paballelo.  Consulate observers were 
impressed with the conduct of the election, both by the IEC and 
political parties.  IEC officials at the polling stations said they 
encountered only a few minor problems, most notably a couple of ID 
scanners that needed to be replaced, but none had delayed openings. 
In talking with parties outside the polls, none reported any 
allegations of intimidation or vote-buying.  The atmosphere outside 
most of the polls was vibrant, with the ANC and COPE hiring sound 
systems outside nearly every poll in the townships that pulsated 
with music.  Turnout on the very windy day appeared high; most polls 
had processed several hundred voters by mid-morning, while queues of 
over 100 voters were common. 
 
¶14.  (U) Comment: It did not appear that the IEC had adequately 
examined the number of voters registered at each station and 
adjusted the officials and voting equipment accordingly.  Each 
station was given the same number of staff and equipment regardless 
of its size. Had an accurate assessment of the polling stations been 
done beforehand delays and other administrative problems could have 
been avoided. There was also a vast difference in competencies of 
staff members at the different stations, at some stations staff 
appeared untrained and ill prepared while other excelled. In the 
future IEC training for these events will need to be re-evaluated. 
End comment.