Peacebuilding Programmes

Peacebuilding Programmes
It is predicted that the 2024 elections will bring significant upheaval to South Africa’s political landscape. The elections are a critical point of the country’s politics. The unpredictability of the political landscape puts South African society at risk.

South Africa is a new democracy, with the first democratic elections taking place in April 1994. The 2024 elections are being held in the context of a political crisis, including a decrease in governmental services, electricity outages, failing infrastructure and corruption. Additionally, voter turnout has continued to decrease. Independent candidates not associated with political parties will, for the first time, be allowed to contest the National and Provincial elections during South Africa’s 2024 general elections. The higher number of political parties combined with independent candidates is likely to result in an unprecedented election that is unlike previous elections in the history of the country’s democracy.

Training communities to notice the warning signs of violence and to intervene with conflict mediation capabilities before the situation escalates is vital to prevent electoral violence. The Peacebuilding Programme builds on decades of experience in conflict mediation and the facilitation of training to prevent electoral violence.