Traditional leaders in the North West say they are in support of the introduction of new and innovative ways of voting in South Africa.
This is as the IEC recently took its consultative processes on i-voting and e-voting to the North West.
The IEC is gathering the views of different stakeholders to see if they can introduce either e-voting, i-voting or both in future elections, beyond the 2026 local government elections.
E-voting is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or handle casting and counting ballots including voting time, while i-voting is a system which allows people to vote from any device connected to the internet.
This means people can vote outside of a designated voting station.
The chairperson of the North West House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, Kgosi Thari Maotwe says, “It will obviously call for robust information and education to everyone in the rural areas, including our elders.”
Local Government expert at Wits University, Dr Tshepang Molale, says the IEC should consult the general public adequately.
“The argument is people are silent, not because they can’t speak, but because platforms are not created for them. So, I think that it is important for public referendums, public forums to be held where people are going to express themselves on whether they prefer i-voting, e-voting, or both.
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