WINDHOEK - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission for South Africa’s national elections is ready, the Head of the SADC Election Observer Mission Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah confirmed to New Era yesterday during an interview.

Over 25 million South Africans will go to the polls for national elections on May 7 to elect a government of their choice. 

“The launching will take place this coming Friday in Pretoria and all SADC member states have been asked to send observers,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the Namibian Foreign Affairs Minister and will represent the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Defence, Politics and Security Cooperation, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, on the mission. 

Nandi-Ndaitwah said the observers would be deployed to the various provinces next week Monday. 

However, she said she did not yet have the exact number of election observers from SADC who will monitor the eagerly-anticipated elections.

The Independent Electoral Commission in South Africa recently announced that 33 political parties would contest this year’s national elections.

Namibia was recently lauded by SADC member states for successfully heading the observer mission to the then crisis-torn Indian Ocean island of Madagascar. Madagascar was without a legitimate government since 2009 following a coup.

The coup cost Madagascar its SADC and African Union memberships – however it has since regained its position on the two bodies following last year’s elections.

This year will be a hectic election year for the SADC region with five member states out of the 14 countries in the region having elections.

The countries are South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia.

By Mathias Haufiku