SA VOTERS GUIDE 2024

As responsible citizens, Christians must strive to honour God in all areas of life (Matthew 5:14-20).

We are to oppose evil (Isaiah 59) and work for righteousness.

Christians therefore have a Biblical duty to vote.

Contrary to what people may believe, election histories prove that just one vote is often the difference between victory and defeat for a party, candidate, or issue.

Consider these historical examples:

In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.

In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.

In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.

In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union.

In 1868, one vote saved US President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.

In 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.

In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the Presidency of the U.S.

In 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi Party.

When you do not vote, by default you cast your vote against the person or proposal you would prefer.

When you do not vote that vote is one less the opposition must overcome, thus your "no vote" is a vote for anti-Christian policies.

More than 80% of South Africans confess that they believe in God and see themselves as Christians.

As of February 2024, South Africa hasn't had its 2024 national and provincial elections yet.

The date is still to be announced, but it will be within 90 days before May 21, 2024. Therefore, data used in this article would be from the 2019 elections:

Voter Turnout:

66.05% (17.67 million votes cast out of 26.76 million registered voters)

Abstention Rate:

33.95%

Party Results:

African National Congress (ANC): 57.50% of the vote

Democratic Alliance (DA): 22.38%

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF): 10.79%

Others: 9.33%

“Who will rise up for Me against the wicked? Who will make a stand for Me against the workers of iniquity?”

Psalm 94:16

South Africa has a proportional representation system, which means that the more votes a party gets, the more seats they will get in parliament.

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC):

https://www.elections.org.za/

Provides detailed election results, voter registration statistics, and other relevant information.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA):

https://www.statssa.gov.za/

Offers demographic data and analysis, which you might find helpful for understanding voting patterns based on age, gender, and other factors.

Country Profile:

South Africa - IFES Election Guide:

https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/198/

Contains historical election data and analysis from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

While the 2019 election data is helpful, remember it's from several years ago and might not directly reflect potential trends in the upcoming 2024 elections.

It's important to acknowledge the limitations of simple mathematical examples provided about voter abstention.

Real-world voting behaviour is complex and influenced by many factors beyond just party preference.

We acknowledge the limitations of using older data and highlight the importance of waiting for official results from the 2024 elections for a more accurate picture of current voting patterns.