It is easier for prisoners to vote than South Africans Abroad – DA Deputy Shadow Minister Adrian Rose

There is a growing dispute between the Democratic Alliance, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) regarding the difficulties faced by South Africans living abroad when trying to register and vote at overseas missions. This issue could potentially result in a case before the Electoral Court that oversees the IEC and the conduct of elections in the country. The dispute follows after voters in Perth, Australia discovered that they could only vote at the South African High Commission in Canberra, while South Africans living in Malta will have to travel to Rome to vote. In an interview with Biznews, Adrian Rose, the Deputy Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, said that the DA has given the IEC and DIRCO an ultimatum to consider the inclusion of so-called honorary consulates, like Perth, as voting stations. If this is not granted, the DA would consider taking other steps. Rose added that the DA wants DIRCO and the IEC to increase the number of voting stations abroad by adding an extra 6-10 within the present legislation. Rose disagreed with the argument that there were financial constraints to adding extra overseas voting stations, as the government receives additional tax revenue from many overseas South Africans. He also highlighted that while the government has set a target of getting 100,000 prisoners out of about 127,000 prisoners to vote, there are no similar targets for voters overseas. It was unfair, he said that prisoners have a better chance of voting than South Africans living abroad. According to Rose, South Africans living overseas have a constitutional right to vote, and the government should take necessary steps to ensure that they can vote without any difficulties