After much bitching and moaning, much torment, badmouthing and ragging of the SA government, a mere 16 240 voters registered to vote abroad for the 2009 elections.
Let’s see the breakdown shall we:
London with 7 472
Canberra, Australia with 1 235
Dubai, United Arab Emirates with 900
Wellington, New Zealand with 410
The Hague, Netherlands with 378
Dublin, Ireland with 360
Wow. Here’s a small fact for you: There are estimated to be over 600 000 South African expats living abroad in LONDON ALONE. Of those ± 600 000 an embarrassing 7472 registered to vote. That is a shocking 1.24% of the expat population in London that bothered to register or apply to vote abroad in the upcoming elections.
I hate to take a rough stand here, but I want the names of the 7472 voters that registered in London because they are the only people living in the UK from SA that I ever want to hear talk about South Africa in a good or bad light. Either make your way back here so that voting isn’t “such a mission” for you over there, or just let go of SA.
As for the rest of the expat population, shame on you. Or Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.
Thank you to the ± 16 000 people who registered to vote abroad, now just be sure to get that vote in, every vote counts.
According to the IEC, South Africans voting at missions abroad must produce both their South African green bar-coded identity document or valid temporary identity certificate as well as their passport when they vote.
“Without these documents, voting will not be permitted. At the mission, they will also be required to complete an application form for a special vote, called a VEC 1 form.
“Voting stations at South African missions abroad will be open from 7am until 7pm,” the IEC said.
Voting times on 20 and 21 April in South Africa will be from 9am until 5pm.
Be sure to remember to take all the necessary documents to avoid disappointment.
Similar Posts:
- Registered Expat voters allowed to vote abroad
- Expats get voting in London
- Voting abroad in the 2009 elections – the official word
- Saffas marching in London
- South African? Voting overseas? Follow these 6 steps FAST
Popularity: 7% [?]
April 7th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Hi Nic
You make good points and I agree with you, if you don’t vote, you have no leg to stand on etc.
However I must point out that the high court ruling which made it possible for expats to vote was released after the final date for registration to vote. So many South African’s living abroad never truly got the chance to register.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:53 am
All that trouble for 16 000+ voters. If I was government and had to cop that much abuse of people bitching about how backward we are for not allowing them to vote…and this is the result, I’d be… “I told you so-ish.” It’s just not worth it.
There’s probably a couple of good reasons expats would want to vote. I just can’t see it carrying much weight and these figures further proved the point.
That’s the downside of social media. Giving idiots a voice.
Good on those who registered. I believe those are the people that look to hopefully return someday. As long as there is hope…
To the rest, I’m with Nic.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I thought you had to be a resident who would be travelling on election day? That doesn’t leave much chance to the expats who have been away a long time.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Hey Nic, to be fair, the system to register is a complete and utter mission. I had to fax, phone and follow up at least 15 times (no exaggeration) to get my application through on the permanently engaged fax lines (no email option) and get confirmation that my application had been received. I still have not received formal confirmation, but have been told to take my fax confirmation sheet with me as *proof* that I applied. Which does not inspire me with a great deal of confidence.
Likewise, South African house in London is not taking *any* calls on the process on the 15th. No calls. I cannot find out what time to get there, how to process my vote, where to go….nothing. I’m taking a day off work (as this does not apply as a public holiday in the UK) on the OFF CHANCE, that my application has been received and I will actually be able to vote when I get there. If I wasn’t so adamant about making sure my vote counts so that the ruling regime doesn’t get a two thirds majority, I would have given up in disgust by now.
So I’d count those *stats* with a bit of skepticism.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:03 am
As far as I recall that was altered after the first decision. But I stand to be Corrected Carolina.
Even so, I still think that there are many, many, many expats in London alone who are “traveling” on election day according to our government, so I still think there is little excuse abound.
Craig, I think that is almost a fair point, almost, but many South Africans know it is election year and have had ample time to check if they were registered and do so thereafter. Many of the 600 000 Londoners (no longer expats) have voted before, it’s not as if all 600 000 are matriculants just out of matric on their gap year who’ve never voted.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Nic: I agree. But I had to put it out there as it’s the excuse I have heard most often.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Dolce – you can check your status with the IEC: http://www.elections.org.za/ and click on “Check Status”… so that you wont have to waste a day.
And I hear you, difficult, trouble, tough, engaged lines, admin, disgust, disdain but you pushed through. You understood and you got and more power to you! Thanks and well done. But I see your point, fair enough.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Surely you need to be close to an embassy to vote? Doesn’t that count out a large amount of people that might be able to vote? If you live in the states it’s unlikely that you will be able to get to Washington if you live in say Mississippi.
16K is not a lot of people but at least they will be able to vote.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Saul – 16k is 0.03% of our population….but I agree, that is most definitely better than nothing at all. And I applaud those who tried. But I also doubt, firmly that there is a single embassy in the whole of the USA?
April 7th, 2009 at 11:25 am
In fairness a few things one needs to remember:
1) There was very little time to communicate the decision
2) Expats had to already be registered and have all the required documentation with them – I’m guessing many might have left their ID books in South Africa
3) Doesn’t excuse the Londoners – but there are a lot of expats living in cities such as Perth where the IEC refused to open a station, despite South African government missions existing there
4) Voter apathy is a problem amongst those in South Africa – I’m sure it’s worth amongst those outside the country
April 7th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
To be honest when I lived in the UK (for 10 years, before their weather finally drove me home) I used to avoid the London South Africans like the plague, bunch of whining, whinging, can’t see one positive thing, everything is bad bunch of w*nkers. Not suprised at these figures at all, although they are probably sitting in the Spingbok bar drinking their over priced castle and complaining about it all as per usual. With out even bothering to engage the bureaucracy (as lame as that may be). Let them stay, the few who wanna have a say, come back we want you here. Other wise the London Saffas should just catch a wake up or shut the f*** up.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Nic…you rock my world. I just checked and I’m registered. W00t! Now, if only these IEC updates appeared on my reader
. Oh wait, seems I’ve got SA rocks for that.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
But but Nic you are being unfair. I could not vote because I had not registered before in SA. My boyfriend could not vote because according to the reuqirements he was not a visitor to another country, not a sportsman or a tourist, and he has no home address in SA.
We both wanted to vote so badly. But niether of us meet the very stringent and difficult requirements. So to say that we are irrelevant and have nothing to say or contribute and to dismiss us like that is shortsighted. I would have given anything to have voted. I care about my country.
I am sick of the ridiculous cliches abut SA expats. We are not all whiny, miserable people. Give us a break.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss people.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
P.S. If I were to judge you by this article I would think that you were quick to judge, and had a real chip on your shoulder about expats. I know from your other writing that this is not true. Expats have a bad name. What about outh Africans back home who are so quick to jump to conclusions?
April 7th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I agree with Po.
When I looked into registration there were 2 pre-requisites:
1. You needed to be a registered voter, which I am not (for some reason – I was a registered voter when I lived in SA).
2. You needed to be outside South Africa on a temporary basis – I left 10 years ago.
The numbers of registrants are low but that is because while it was technically possible for some ex-pats to register it is by no means possible (or feasible) for all. On top of that there has been very poor communication about the whole process, constant changes to this process and no doubt some aspect of ex-pat apathy.
Please don’t tar us all with the same brush in future.
April 7th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Graham the constitutional court ruling overruled the temporary basis requirement – if I understand it right the confusion comes from the IEC not updating the forms…
April 7th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Nic, hopefully this does not mean that approximately 584,000 expats have no intention of returning to SA.
We so desparately need their skills right now.
April 7th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
16,000+ people were enough to make enough noise about expat votes to make it happen. The other 592,000 expats in London don’t really care. They don’t think that their vote will make any difference or they never intend to return – so it doesn’t matter anyway. There may be some expats in London who hang out in pubs or on the Internet whinging and whining about SA but most simply get on with their lives. Yes, there are a lot of South Africans in London but, while not neccessarily avoiding each other they don’t neccessairly hang out together – there are other nationalities in London to hang out with (surprised?). So while those in SA think that expats whinge and whine constantly and publicly about South Africa, most expats, if hanging out with friends complaining are complaining about issues local to the country that they live in – the recession, the weather, the NHS or whatever. Most expats that I have met don’t get together to complain – they quietly shed a tear for their loss when they are alone or missing loved ones.
Those expats who have not registered to vote don’t hear the shame that you are trying to lay on them. They aren’t listening or paying attention – their backs are turned and their kids have foreign accents. Don’t expect them to care – their care for South Africa extends to loved ones left behind who believe they can make a difference and in a generation it will all be forgotten anyway.
April 7th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Graham – please don’t take offence to this, but if you left 10 years ago then you no longer should be allowed to vote, you left almost half of my life ago… that’s a long time, what could you know of SA, the political climate, the ways things are and how could you possibly make an effective and educated vote. This really isn’t meant to be offensive, but you can’t have it both ways, either you are permanently gone (10 years) or you are planning on returning.
Po – I agree, it’s wrong to paint expats with the same brush, but you are probably one of the 17 000 who applied, not the other 583 000 who didn’t. I am sorry that you were unable to register, but I think that Kilps is right, that was overturned, any expat living abroad, to a point, was able to register, the limits were relaxed after the high court ruling.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
The court ruling only allowed expats to sign up to vote if they were already registered on the voters role – so if you weren’t registered then you couldn’t sign up to vote overseas – and they wouldn’t let you register as the final date had past.
Nic that is incredibly judgemental to decide when someone has left for good – if Graham is following this blog then surely he cares about the country. Maybe he is waiting for changes in government before he returns and so wants to vote to help bring that by voting.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Why do people think that being an “expat” is a definable or cut and tried thing? People have not only “either gone for good or planning on returning”. Many people go with the flow, and have no plans either way.
I personally just let life take me along for the ride. I want to come home, but I have no actual plans to return or any plans. I will let things unfold and develop as the years go by to see what desicions are to be made. I do not feel like an expat at all. I am a South African who loves my country and has no plans whatsoever but to see where I end up.
This cut and dried notion does not apply to most people at all.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Kilps, Po, Graeme – I definitely see your point, and I am not trying to be judgmental or abrasive. I am trying to find a point where one no longer contributes to a society.
Surely leaving South Africa im for ten years warrants a detachment from the country in a financial and social way that relieves a person of their right to vote? If you no longer contribute tax, no longer participate on daily basis in the building of the nation from within the nation then surely you don’t have the right any longer to vote? I am trying to be as practical here as possible, not emotional or irrational, talking in practice, surely if you’ve lived in a country for ten years you should be voting for their government because you would be eligible for citizenship (and most likely have it)
April 7th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Nic – except many expats after many years still have a significant attachment to the country. Many come home for holidays (and still refer to SA as home) and also often send money back.
Someone who has, in their own mind, moved for good is not going to go to all the effort to take part in the election. If a citizen cares enough to go through the process then they must still have some sort of attachment to South Africa and so the government does have an impact on them and so they should have a right to say who that government is.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Nic some people still have no citizenship other than South African after 10 years, but that is not my point. The point is, yu say that you are saying people should move on. Move on from what? From being South African and caring what goes on, from having an opinion? That is impossible unless you know a way of surgically removing part of a person’s psyche.
You may wish we did not exist but we do and we care whether or not that benefits the country, and you should not be so quick to write us all off.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
No, I don’t wish you don’t exist at all, that is ridiculous. Some of my best friends are expats planning to return, or not, it’s irrelevant.
kilps, I’m not sure if I agree with the premise that because someone cares, they should be allowed to do something. It’s not that simple, clear cut and dry. It can’t be, a government has to draw a line at some point? Hypothetically in a lifetime if it takes ±5 years on average to gain citizenship and be allowed to vote in a country, then in a single persons lifetime they could vote in about 12 countries elections. That’s ok, i can deal with that.
But if these people were allowed to vote in ALL 12 country elections simultaneously then there is a problem in my opinion.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
In the end I think you have answered your question of why so few people registered to vote. The ones who did were the few who have been gone a short time and can qualify. Those who have been gone more than two years would struggle to qualify both according to the terms the IEC laid down and your own opinion of who qualifies as a citizen.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Nic, I was only going by the tone and words you used in the post. “So long and thanks for all the fish”, demanding a list of those people who registered,claiming you never want to hear us talking about SA in either a good or a bad light. That sounds to me as if you wish we did not exist.
Perhaps you did not mean it to come across that way, but it reads as abrasive and antagonistic. I apologise if I misunderstood what you were trying to get across.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Po – Too true. It’s still sad/disappointing and frustrating whether the question is answered or not! Thanks for the interesting debate.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Nic, with regard to your comment that Graham has been away for more than 10 years and may not know much about the political climate in the country, I would venture to believe that there is a good chance that he may know more about the political climate than many South Africans do.
If he takes time to read international newspapers and watch international TV, he could quite easily have a strong knowledge of the political climate in SA, and would therefore certainly have an educated vote.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Dude! Some places it is quite impossible to understand where and how! I’m in Lagos, and even getting anything done with the SA embassy is a mission! You have to stand out in the streets, you can’t even get into your own embassy!
As far as the London folks go… tsk tsk…
April 8th, 2009 at 9:17 am
When I went to check out that I was registered, they said I wasn’t. For crying out loud, I’ve been registered since voetsek! So what’s that all about?
April 8th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Glen – get hold of one of the political parties. I don’t recall which, but I know one of them were trying to deal with cases of being left off the voters role and I’m pretty sure any of them will want to help you…
April 8th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I disagree completely with your contention that a South African who will not vote abroad should be disqualified from expressing his/her opinion on matters in the home country.
I will vote, but to qualify to vote was a mad rush to get the documents and to register.
The ANC regime, well aware that 85% of South Africans living abroad are not black, have found an effective way to eliminate more than 1.6mn voters in a calculated and sinister way to cling to power.
April 8th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I am actually disappointed in your response Nic – the forever optimistic South African. This is an issue that has been very close to my heart – I have done a lot of work to ‘spread the word,’ inform people of the process, encourage them to register etc, and until YOU are an expat, I don’t think you have the right to be so harsh.
There are number of things to take into account when you look at those figures, and while I agree, there could have been more, you can’t lump all who didn’t register into the same category…
Firstly – there are a limited number of embassy’s that people have access to. There isn’t an embassy in every town, and I have heard from a LOT of people who want to vote but cannot afford to travel the far distance to get to the embassy. For example, in Australia the only SA Embassy is in Canberra, so if you live in Perth, you literally have to go to the other side of the country to vote – for some people it just isn’t a viable option.
Secondly – a lot of those estimated ’600 000′ people in the UK, and never mind elsewhere, are not registered, so no matter how much they wanted to vote they still aren’t allowed to. Some are too young to have voted in the previous election and so wouldn’t be registered, and some voted last in 1994 when the government didn’t keep a register.
I say take the positive out of the figures we have – there are 16 000 odd people voting who previously didn’t have the chance to. That’s 16 000 extra votes – it only takes 1 to make a difference. That’s the positives for SA as a country.
The positive for those expats – the change in the ruling restored my faith a little in our country and its democratic processes. I now feel that little bit more connected to my country – I am not an outcast for wanting to travel and see the world, and I can still have a say in my country’s future, to which I am bound. Because I will return one day, and it is my right to have that say! If that was the only outcome of all of this, I would say it has been worth while.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Hi All – I want to thank you all for your very passionate and surprisingly rational responses. I have considered that arguments and think I might’ve been wrong with my initial approach and angle. I put my thoughts down on the lastest SAROCKS post: Am I wrong? Is Investing in expats the way to go?
April 8th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hi Nic,
Know you have probably closed the lid on this but have had my own go on Po’s blog. Not directed at her but more at an anonymous comment saying ‘people bitch about expats because they don’t have the resources to leave’ and basically this country is going down the tubes.
Having lived both in Aus and NZ, I found no better pleasure than promoting our beautiful country and all it has to offer. And then I’d get the other end of the stick where expats were telling our foreign neighbors that ‘bullets fly over your head back there’ and and and the list goes on. So I’ve heard, first hand how ‘some’ expats bath our country in negativity and it bites me real bad. I don’t care if their excuses make them feel better for leaving, I know people who’ve had real hardships and reason to leave, and then some still here.
There’s no grace in exaggerating some of the ‘problems’ we, but all, experience in our respective countries. I agree with you totally, if you aren’t voting or didn’t make an effort to try register – Po – then don’t complain. Shut your mouths and let the people who still see positivity in this great country try make the most out of their hope and faith.
Ches
April 8th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Ches – your point doesn’t only apply to expats though – how many people in South Africa bitch and moan about everything that’s ‘wrong’ with our country, and still don’t vote – even though the process to vote within SA is a lot easier than the process to vote from another country! Apathy is rife in SA too…
April 8th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
>> Ches
It may be an easy and convincing case in Nigeria or Zimbabwe, but to praise South Africa in Australia, New Zealand or the US is cause for utter amusement. It has become easier in Britain though, since Labour took over. But with the new, un-indicted criminal leader after the April elections, even Britain will shine brightly as the choice of place to live, for this South African.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Been there, said this.
What a waste of time, money and oxygen.
http://6000.co.za/2009/04/03/look-out-zuma/
April 9th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Hi – I followed the progress of the application for us expats to vote on the news and on SA websites. Always looking out for the constitutional court’s ruling. So, it came through 2-3 weeks before the deadline of applications. Thus, there is no excuse for not enough time to communicate this. People complaining, should have shown a bit more initiative and interest to find out about the constitutional court’s ruling, the procedures to register etc.
Anyway, my name is Gerrie Coertzen, I am registered to vote and will do so on 15 April in London.
I know of many people who have registered to vote, who would not have bothered before, so I am suspicious about the 16k figure…is it possible that many applications could have been mislaid or conveniently disposed of?
April 14th, 2009 at 11:02 am
I am fortunate enough to be in ths right place at the right time to register and will have my say but I have empathy with those that could not make the rediculous short timeframe that was allowed, …let every vote count and keep praying for our country and our friends and loved ones still living there.
With all the new Visa laws choices are not that easy for all.
Have a gr8 vot and see you tomorrow in London
April 15th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Nic, sorry my friend. Great site, but I, as an expat for the last 6 years, despise your criticism of us and our ‘lack’ of interest! Again, the government is to blame for our not voting (and perhaps this is another example of predetermined under-the-belt bad politics), because of losing their case in the High Court! Believe me, I wanted to vote, but wasn’t given sufficient time and support! You are most probably a stern supporter of our corrupt government/ANC. WE ARE SOUTH AFRICA, DOESN’T MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN THE WORLD!!!Enjoy your fish!!!!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:10 am
My suggestion? Rather promote more awareness in time if fellow SA’s back home wants expats’ support. Don’t let yet another issue split SA’s up, and don’t promote it with anger.
April 15th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Just to let all the hopeful people know that the registration was a farce anyway. All the people who registered to vote in Australia were required to vote in Canberra, which is in the middle of nowhere, and is logistically impossible.
So it’s a joke. Go IEC, give us the vote and then make sure we cannot use it. What more can I day, nothing has changed, why come back?
John
April 15th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Come, come now Nic. I think you are being a little harsh.
1. Before taking aim at South Africans who are overseas and don’t register to vote or don’t use their vote, maybe you should take a look at those South Africans IN the country who are too apathetic to vote!! And you and I both know there are MANY of them. This is a far bigger problem than expats not voting…
2. You needed to be on the voter’s roll – if for whatever reason you were not at the time of the Constitutional Court decision, you could not vote, however badly you wanted to (and I do know people in this position).
3. If you did not have a barcoded ID book you could not vote – a passport was not good enough. So if your ID book was lost or stolen and you hadn’t bothered to get a new one (because let’s face it, what do you need it for in London??), you could not vote.
4. Last I checked, the only consulates in the USA where you could vote were New York, LA and Washington DC. Now tell me with a straight face that my friends in Denver should fork out for a plane ticket to one of these places to vote???
5. But most of all I really take issue with your statements that if you’ve been out of the country for ten years you are too detached from it and should not be allowed to vote. Umm, so if I own property in SA, pay tax there and have investments and family there; if I visit every year sometimes more than once; if my family is there and I care about the future of me nephews aged 2 and 6 I am somehow not good enough to vote? I’m sorry but that’s just rubbish. And don’t tell me I don’t understand the politics of the country any more. The internet means that I can be as informed as anybody living in South Africa in order to make my cross on the ballot paper.
I voted this afternoon, in case you were wondering…
April 17th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
whats all this hooha about anyway?
as far as im concerned the iec website had all of the information i needed to check that i was registered (it took about 10 seconds) and then to fill out and email back the form vec10, and within a week of that i could check that i was eligible to vote at the embassy in wien.
so what the hell is so difficult about that guys???
if you have ever voted while in sa, then you would have already been registered with the iec. and providing you still had your barcoded id (which by the way is the single most important document for a resident south african) then why not travel the large or small distance to the nearest polling station and vote? ok ok, even if half of the 600000 saffers in london were, for whatever reason, legally not eligible to vote, 16000 out of 300000 is still an embarrassingly meager 5 odd percent. after our fathers and grandfathers gave their lives so that we could all have the right to vote, a big proportion of saffers abroad have no excuse whatsoever.
but i still like them and will forgive them completely if they try harder next time round
)
yosh.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:47 am
Puhlease. Who cares man? The reason I live in the US was to get away from that hellhole. In any case, it’s still a one horse race. I can’t wait for Zuma to get in. Finally SA will get the government it deserves.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Well all the moaning – I would loved to have been able to vote as would many other Saffies living here with me – but registration was next to impossible and getting to the one place we could vote, a 4 hour drive on a working day, in a country where woman can not drive so husbands need to take leave and kids have to miss school. So to all who did vote well Done and hopefully your vote does count.
From Saudi Arabia
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:55 pm
The expat voting day in Israel fell on a holy day where people are forbidden to write, drive etc. so I don’t think anyone voted from here.
The consulate wasn’t active in reaching out to the community (on the issue of voting or anything else for that matter) so there ya go…
May 21st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Firstly, it’s great to see a positive proudly South African website, and one from a fellow Rhodent.
As I hadn’t travelled overseas since 2001 and didn’t know about the 2004 law restricting travel with foreign passports into and out of SA, I was lucky enough to be allowed to travel at all, and thus was unable to vote because I’ve never had a Saffa passport. how frustrating- it wasn’t as if I didn’t care, I just couldn’t legally vote.
keep up the great work!
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
It is obvious the writer of this ridiculous article has no clue about expats and what they’re about. He doesn’t know what hurdles they’ve faced this year- and how hard it has been to get to the voting station> i am not suprised he does not find any fault with the South Africa IEC, failing to facilitate info, voting places or any other means to obtain a much wider voting record.
Have you ever heard of absentee ballots- I bet you have no clue- but then again there are prelimineries that have to be fulfilled before the international voting experience for all SA expats around the world can be perfect. So please do not be so quick to judge, esp. when you don’t KNOW NOTHING- BECAUSE MANY SOUTH AFRICANS ABROAD REALLY WANTED TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AND THEIR VOTES COUNTED. But the decision and the info about registration and voting station came a little too late for many expats. GET YOU FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU THROW A SELF-RIGHTEOUS UNINFORMED STONE.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Wow! What a complete nonsense entry! Firstly have you seen the voting stations? For the whole continent of Australia they had 1. How is someone in Perth going to vote in Canberra?
What is the point of registerring if you can’t make it?
In New Zealand the largest Expat population is in Auckland. They had to vote in Wellington.
Or what happened to me. I registered to vote in Abu Dhabi. Came election day, suddenlt they tell me, no, you must vote in Dubai.
Further it is a normal working day. People can’t just take off work and drive thousands of kilometers to vote.
Rediculous. The ANC made it as difficult as possible to vote for people.
South Africans in South Africa can’t even be bothered to drive 5km to vote, but it is suddenly expected by Expats to drive hundreds or thousands of kilometers?
August 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Nic,
In Australia you get fined if you do not vote. Maybe ZA should consider this – as it works in AU, which is a first world country.
However, maybe these expats do not want to vote as the statistics show that they have no chance on influencing the outcome anyway.
This is what I would like to see – Only people that actually know what they vote for should vote. – What do you think? Or do you prefer a dictatorship where the uneducated masses get told / shown what tick box to mark?
This is what I would like to see – Only people that actually know what they vote for should vote. – What do you think? Or do you prefer a dictotorship where the uneducated masses get told / shown what tick box to mark?
August 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Nic,
Agree with you. ZA is a great place:
Cheap Food
Cheap housing
Being judged by the type of car you drive.! = BMW, right?
Cheap booze, smokes and labour.
Having a live in maid and pay her nothing.
Having a live in gardener and pay him nothing.
Live is a big house, with even bigger walls & gates.
Have an alarm, burglar bars, armed response, private response.
Not able to leave your house over weekends.
Complain around a braai. (e.g. not being able to afford an overseas holiday! regardless moving there!).
Skipping Robots at night as being scared of hijack.
Not trusting the police.
It is called a 3rd workd Nic. But am possitive that being positive about will not change it. Am glad that you have a possitive outlook. But why don’t you get off your butt and do something to change it so that expats can return????
August 12th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Nic – The Greek.
You are one of the luck ZA people that has an out = your EU passport. Many ZA move and live in another country for years to get that. And yes, just for that!!
You got your EU paspport for free. No wonder you can have such an attitude!!!
Here is the deal. Give up your EU passport and I will give up my Aussie and and return to crime-stricken ZA. How is that for a challange? ???
My bet is you will never do that, so am quite save in offering you this deal.
Figures.
Why don’t you go back to Europe (run like your fellow EU citizens do) and stop pretending your are an ZA person. You clearly have no idea, do you now Nic.
?
August 14th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Nic:
btw. you thing no crime in SA. Do your research and chuc the blinkers:
GDP in SA: 277,188
GDP in ‘Stralia: 1,010,699
Population of ‘Stralia: 21m
Population of SA: 48m
Crime in South Afica: A survey for the period 1998-2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranked South Africa second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita and first for rapes per capita.
Crime in Australia: #43 Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people
Crime Statistics > Murders (per capita) (most recent) by country
#1 Colombia: 0.617847 per 1,000 people
#2 South Africa: 0.496008 per 1,000 people
#3 Jamaica: 0.324196 per 1,000 people
#4 Venezuela: 0.316138 per 1,000 people
#5 Russia: 0.201534 per 1,000 people
#6 Mexico: 0.130213 per 1,000 people
#7 Estonia: 0.107277 per 1,000 people
#8 Latvia: 0.10393 per 1,000 people
#9 Lithuania: 0.102863 per 1,000 people
#10 Belarus: 0.0983495 per 1,000 people
#24 United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people
#43 Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people
#44 Canada: 0.0149063 per 1,000 people
#46 United Kingdom: 0.0140633 per 1,000 people
#52 New Zealand: 0.0111524 per 1,000 people
SOURCE: Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 – 2000 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention)
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita
AIDS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_adult_prevalence_rate
SA: 5,7m (11.9% of population ~ 1 out of 10)
AUST: 14k (0.1% of population ~ 1 out of 1000)
August 14th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
did you check it Nic.
am awaiting your apology for modetating mw.
but, no worries dude, as the results is shocking…..albeit a bit old and dated (and many will say that the rates increased in SA….id o not know as i left…remember…thk god)
August 14th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
did you check it Nic. yes you did as you are no longer = checking moderation.
am awaiting your apology for modetating.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
One statistic, the murder rate, which we all know is unnaceptably high. Have you seen any others? Have you seen the stats that have been going down while Britain, the USA and other 1st world nations have radically increases rates of crime. I’m tired of this debate. This will be my last comment to you.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Nic,
there is no debate.
Crime is the issue. Let’s not get confused and cloud the issue: Maybe you did not moderate enough. Read again. MURDERS is what i quoted!!!!!!
Crime Statistics > Murders (per capita) (most recent) by country
#2 South Africa: 0.496008 per 1,000 people
#43 Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people
#46 United Kingdom: 0.0140633 per 1,000 people
August 15th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Nic,
i also quoted AIDS:
AIDS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_adult_prevalence_rate
SA: 5,7m (11.9% of population ~ 1 out of 10)
AUST: 14k (0.1% of population ~ 1 out of 1000)
“Have you seen the stats that have been going down while Britain, the USA and other 1st world nations have radically increases rates of crime.”
Share this with us Nic as i have not seen this. And please do compare this with ZA. Your country does not publish crime rates as it will be too shocking. So what we have is the news and the general public to go by. And also tell me that the thousands (well millions) that left SA because of crime are lying. Do tell me that my mate was not really robbed last week, that his wife was not beaten and his 9 year old daughter was not raped. Do tell me.
Nic, honestly, if you deny that SA has an issue with crime, then I have no choice but to have no respect for you as then you are just part of this problem (and not the so indented solution as you claim).
btw, do you have a wife and children? Guess is no. One day when you do then you will have a compltely different attitude.
(but then again, you seem so blinded, you may want your wife to be raped & mudered – i just can not tell with your denial behaviour)
August 15th, 2009 at 6:44 am
here is another stat that you can deny:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Expectancy_by_Country
Australia: #8 @ 80.62 years
South Africa: #183 @ 42.45 years.
But Nic, there is no issue in SA as you say.
oi, wake up dude.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:18 am
nic,
the stats show more than just murders. You need to read my post again. Or let me summarise a bit for you. ( it is scary)
SA is:
No1: rapes per capita (one rape every 40 seconds)
No2: assault and murder (by all means)
No2: Murders (per capita)
No1: Murders with firearms
No4: Burglaries
No2: Kidnappings
No10: Total crime per capita out of 60 countries measured.
No1: Incidences of child and baby rape in the world
No1: Ranked by HIV/AIDS population 5,7m (11.9% of population ~ 1 out of 10), or No5 Ranked by prevalence rate
No183: Life Expectancy of only 42.45 years.
No130: infant mortality rate 44.8 deaths/1,000 live births and 66.0 Under-five mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)
farm attacks: murder rate is four times that of the general South African population. ~ 3,000 deaths, rate of murders had increased by 25% since 2005. 9,400 farm attacks, an estimated 61% of victims are white
for a full report see: http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/sf-south-africa/cri-crime&b_cite=1
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:22 am
Maybe the reason so few registered is because they don’t care! Have fun on the sinking ship, we worked hard to make a new life for ourselves. You cowards put up wth anything because you are to lazy to pull yourselves out of that awful place. How dare you insult us!
October 20th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
What. A. Chop. Nic Haralambous, you need to be about in the world a little bit longer before you start mouthing off like you have in the above posts. Fuck off.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Ethel – don’t be a naive ageist. What exactly are you trying to imply? That because I am not as old as you are that I have no opinion?
Pah. Whatever. Did you vote (Assuming you are an expact)?
December 31st, 2009 at 3:34 am
To Nic
There are several reason’s the turn out was not high one is you have to be a registered voter. So what about all the people who left SA and had not voted before?.
I have a British passport as well and in UK elections i can go to any UK embassy world wide and vote.
2nd we are tripping up over South Africans here, i myself am one as well and your view that there is only 600,000 in London i’m sure is wrong as A the SA goverment does not know how many people have even left and the big thing is 40% or so of the SA White population have british passports or can get one though a family connection some where along the line so i think there is for more South African’s in the UK then people think.
I tried to vote and i’m a registered voter but i have two ID books as guess what home affairs made a mistake and one says i’m a non citizen and one says i’m South African and of course which one do you reckon i voted with in the election before this?. My one saying i’m a non SA citizen so when i applyed to vote with that it say’s i’m a non SA citizen so can’t vote, i use my other ID number and guess what it say’s i’m not registered to vote so therefore i could not vote.
Why can’t all SA citizen’s over sea’s vote and not just the small handfull that are registered to vote before they left SA?.
If they could registered in the UK i’m sure a few 100,000 would have voted in the UK alone but guess what most that have left SA are A non black and B non ANC voter’s 99% of the time so that is why the vote is only given to registered voter’s.
I could go on with the short notice people had to vote as it was only when we won a vote for registered voter’s in court that we knew we could vote.
There is only one place to vote in the UK and i traveled 2h 35min one way to try and vote as i brought along both my TWO ID’s and my passport yet was told due to the rules i could not vote.
So get your facts right boet many more people would have voted if they could.
All is not lost, SA expat’s votes helped the DA get the Western Cape which made lot’s of people very very happy.
August 12th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Wow. What an interesting article and the subsequent responses.
Well I was one of those suckers who wasn’t registered with the IEC and so couldn’t vote – much to my dismay. I was too young to vote in the previous election so registering for the IEC seemed pointless.
Any constructive suggestions as to getting registered (and staying that way) with the IEC so I can cast my vote at the next election…?
I’m heading home (yes, South Africa is still HOME) and will need to do all that before I return to London.
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