When South Africa’s much-anticipated elections take place later this year, thousands of convicted convicts are expected to vote with more than 27 million other citizens.
This comes after the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) successfully registered eligible inmates on the voters roster this week, surpassing the 27 million milestone for the first time.
While the number of prisoners who have registered to vote has yet to be confirmed, the IEC anticipates that at least 100,000 will vote this year, up from 15,000 inmates who voted in the 2019 elections.
There are around 157,000 convicts in South African correctional establishments.
South African inmates were first granted the right to vote in a landmark court judgment in 1999, giving them the opportunity to participate in the political process.
Many governments throughout the world deny convicts the ability to vote.
Despite having one of the world’s worst crime rates, the country’s Constitution grants all residents the right to vote, including convicted felons and South Africans living overseas.
Last weekend, thousands of South Africans living overseas were allowed to register at the country’s foreign missions to vote on a date yet to be determined by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Electoral staff and prison authorities visited the country’s 240 correctional facilities this week to register inmates as voters ahead of the upcoming registration weekend.
Wearing orange prison uniforms, numerous people lined up in a dedicated hall area at the all-male Zonderwater Correctional Centre in Pretoria on Thursday to either register to vote for the first time or update their information.
Some convicts’ voter information was registered while they were still free and needed to be updated to indicate that they would be voting from within the prison.
Prison guards maintained a careful eye on the inmates as they waited their turn in line before being aided by election officials who registered them using digital tablets.
Khathutshelo Mashau, an inmate, stated that convicts are likewise interested in who governs the country.
“Whoever is in control after that, such as your minister of correctional services and justice, will need to make some changes.
“We are frustrated by how our courts operate at times.” Writing an appeal takes a long time. That is something that we, as offenders, are concerned about,” he said.
South Africa will host one of its most hotly contested elections since the end of apartheid and white minority rule, with the ruling African National Congress facing one of its most difficult challenges yet.
According to some polls, the party’s electoral support may fall below 50% for the first time since it took office in 1994.
