South Africa- Wednesday’s vote has passed the credibility test, with all observer missions commending Pretoria for maintaining a clean record since the advent of democracy in 1994.

The latest to endorse the elections is the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to South Africa.

The mission praised the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for presiding over free, fair, and credible National and Provincial elections.

The AUEOM, which comprised 65 observers from 26 African Union Member States, was deployed from May 21 to June 3, 2024, at the invitation of the South African Government and the IEC.

The mission was led by Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, former President of Kenya, and supported by Ambassador Bankole Adeoye.

Despite the commendations for South Africa, the region and the continent continue to overlook significant electoral issues in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Last August, Zimbabwe’s election was marred by allegations of vote-rigging by the ruling Zanu PF party.

All observer missions, including those from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), condemned the Zimbabwean polls, citing numerous irregularities and lack of transparency.

The region promised to address the electoral malpractices in Zimbabwe, but no substantial actions have been taken to date.

This inaction has raised concerns about the commitment of regional bodies to uphold democratic principles uniformly across the continent.