Given their track record, what possessed you to write to the US secretary of state to help us with our elections?
We appealed to 13 democracies throughout the world which have resources for pro-democracy programmes to provide them to South Africa. This is not about the US.
Isn't it ironic to appeal to the US to help us ensure free and fair elections when they've just endorsed elections in Pakistan rife with evidence of vote rigging, voter suppression and violence?
Well, I can't speak to Pakistan. What I can speak to is that democracies throughout the world provide, via their state departments and foreign ministries, resources and support as well as contingents of election monitors to assist in making sure democratic processes are shored up. This is a very standard request made ahead of elections in developing countries, and budgets are made available by these democracies as part of their international outreach programmes.
Shouldn't you be getting this assistance from civil society organisations rather than from the executive arms of the US and other governments?
That is precisely what I have asked. That resources be given to civil society organisations in South Africa that do this work. I haven't asked that they be given to the DA.
Shouldn't you appeal to the civil society organisations that do this work rather than write letters to the White House?
We speak to civil society organisations all the time about their needs, and ask the foreign offices of foreign governments to direct any resources available for pro-democracy programmes to civil society in South Africa.
Mostly observers and monitors?
And the capacity building and voter education of those monitors.
The IEC say they have always invited and accredited multinational institutions such as the UN, EU, AU and Commonwealth to observe and monitor our elections in line with common practice. Is that not enough?
We want more. We need domestic observers at every station.
Which you'll get from civil society organisations or from embassies?
Because we need to maintain integrity as a contestant in the election we will give embassies a list of civil society organisations that are doing this work, and say engage directly with these people. We're not going to say work with this or that organisation. It's not up to us to say which organisations these resources are provided to.
By sending an SOS to the US and UK and others aren't you encouraging a perception that the IEC can't be trusted to run a free and fair election?
No, this isn't about an SOS, and it's also not about the IEC. But there absolutely is a strategic objective to make sure that the world is watching, because we know it's going to be a very, very tense election.
By, in effect, suggesting that the IEC is not up to holding a fully free and fair election ...
We haven't suggested, dog whistled or insinuated that the IEC is not capable. We have asked for election observers and capacity building, which is standard practice. We have full faith in the IEC's ability at a structural level, but there is empirical evidence that at a granular level significant errors do happen.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.