South African voters turn out for first all-race local elections

Jet, Nov 20, 1995

Voters reshaped South Africa by putting Blacks in charge of cities and towns that had once been led by Whites.

Blacks as well as Whites turned out in mass to vote for almost 700 local and rural councils that will replace the racially segregated local councils that were a staple of the apartheid system.

In many cases, territories that were once controlled by Whites will now be governed by Black-controlled councils with the power to decide what roads to pave and which schools will be built.

The elections were the first time-following following the April 1994 all-race national vote that brought Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) to power--that Blacks and Whites voted together for local leaders.

Previously, there were no Black elected local officials in South Africa, although some Black mayors had been appointed over the past 18 months as transitional leaders.

President Mandela and the ANC asserted that their wide-reaching development plan needed local governments to be in place before money could be poured into the communities.

"This is the completion of the democratic process that we began last year," said Mandela during a visit to one of the polling stations in the Atteridgeville Black township outside Pretoria.

According to initial estimates by election officials, voter turnout ranged from 35 percent in some areas to more than 60 percent in others.

Experts had inaccurately expected the turnout to be low because of voter apathy and confusion over a new type of ballot.

Despite some logistical problems at some polling places, election officials expressed satisfaction with the voting.