Tuesday, 11 March 2025.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has noted the renewed and premature push by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to introduce electronic voting in South Africa. This attempt, first raised in 2013 and now resurfacing, is premature as it will compromise the integrity, accessibility, and reliability of our electoral system.

The IEC has framed this discussion as a “watershed moment for electoral democracy.” However, the reality is that electronic voting in South Africa will only deepen inequality and disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the poor and working class, due to the country’s deep digital divide.

South Africa does not have the necessary infrastructure to support a transition to electronic voting. Millions of citizens, especially in rural areas, do not have access to digital devices such as smartphones, laptops, or reliable internet services. Less than 75% of the population has access to internet services, with far less than that having access to the internet from their homes, and South African having some of the highest mobile data costs in the world. The failure of the government to provide universal access to digital infrastructure means that electronic voting will inevitably exclude the most vulnerable in our society.

The IEC itself has a track record of technological failures that cannot be ignored. The 2024 elections witnessed frequent malfunctions of the Voter Management Devices (VMDs), which were intended to verify voter registration at polling stations. These failures led to delays and undermined public confidence in the electoral process, while the website itself was unreliable and was often down when the whole country was relying on it for up-to-date results. If the IEC cannot guarantee the reliability of these basic verification systems and a website, there is no reason to trust them with a complete overhaul to an electronic voting system.

Furthermore, South Africa’s persistent electricity crisis poses a serious threat to the viability of electronic voting. With rolling blackouts and an unreliable power grid, it is simply reckless to consider an electoral system that is entirely dependent on electricity and digital connectivity. Without a stable and guaranteed power supply, electronic voting will open the door to massive voter suppression.

Instead of this ill-conceived move, the IEC must focus on real and practical reforms that enhance electoral participation. The most immediate and effective solution is to implement automatic voter registration for all citizens once they turn 18, which the EFF will be vigorously pursuing. This can be achieved by integrating IEC systems with the Department of Home Affairs database, eliminating the tedious and unnecessary registration process that discourages voter turnout.

Additionally, voters must be allowed to vote anywhere in the country without requiring pre-approval. The failure of the 2024 election system, which forced voters to apply in advance if they wished to vote outside their registered province, led to the disenfranchisement of thousands. The IEC must remove these barriers instead of introducing further complications through electronic voting.

The EFF disagrees with any attempt to transition to electronic elections while we exist in a nation with grave challenges on digital capacity, that will undermine our democracy. We will continue to fight for a transparent, accessible, and fair electoral process that upholds the democratic rights of all South Africans, particularly the poor and marginalised. The IEC must abandon this electronic voting agenda for now, and focus on real reforms that will strengthen, rather than undermine, electoral democracy.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Leigh-Ann Mathys (National Spokesperson) 082 304 7572

Thato Lebyane (Media Enquiries) 078 304 7572