Disillusionment over the state of the country and the mix of political parties to choose from, saw many apathetic Zululand voters this year opting to go the ‘no vote’ or ‘spoilt ballot’ route.
On the eve of the elections, the ‘no vote’ message was propagated loud and clear as angry protestors torched the Mandlazini Community Hall in Richards Bay and riots broke out in Ntambanana.
This instilled fear that Zululand could again become the breeding ground of violence and bloodshed, similar to the run-up to the 1994 elections.
The strong-arm approach was an ultimatum to the ruling party: ineffective service delivery equals a ‘no vote’.
But it was not only the masses taking their protests to the polls in this manner.
Disgruntled cadres and stalwarts of the ANC – including former Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils and former Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge launched the ‘Sidikiwe! Vukani! Vote No!’ campaign in April. They called on citizens either to vote for a minority party or spoil their ballots.
However, the irony of the ‘no vote’ in this year’s election is that it strengthened the very parties the ‘no voters’ meant to ‘punish’.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission, there were 251 960 spoilt votes, which would have equated to between five and six seats in Parliament.
Smaller pie
A ‘no vote’ essentially bolsters the majority party in each province. So, for instance, a ‘no vote’ in the Western Cape only meant the DA took a larger share of a smaller vote pie.
A spoilt ballot in KZN gave the ruling party a sturdier lead. On Sunday, canvassers of the ‘no vote’ campaign said they had realised their goal of preventing the ANC from attaining a 66% majority.
But the reality on the ground is that the ANC claimed a landslide victory countrywide, reaffirming its dominance in 14 of the 16 municipalities in Zululand. And according to analysts, the ‘no vote’ offered little help to opposition political parties.
In a multi-party democracy, there is freedom in your vote. If you are unhappy with a certain political party, simply vote for another party. Misplaced votes do nothing to improve the state of the country.
With that said, an election should also be representative of all sectors of society. Apathetic voters should have their voices heard. Zululand political analyst Dr Chris Isike this week said there should be a ‘no vote’ option on the ballot paper to measure political apathy in the country and allow voters to express their dissatisfaction.
It was important to hear the voices of the many protestors in Zululand, who went to great lengths to get their message across to government. The real question though, is whether the ‘no vote’ made any difference to the country. I think not.
