South Africans abroad: ordinarily disenfranchised
(
17 March 2009
)
Last week, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that section 33(1) of the Electoral Act, 1998 and associated regulations are unconstitutional to the extent that they bar certain categories of South African citizens from casting votes abroad in national elections. The effect of the ruling is that those citizens who are registered to vote will be entitled to cast "special votes" in South African embassies and missions abroad, provided that they notify the Independent Electoral Commission of their intention to do so by 27 March 2009.
