Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to this House that I have just returned from South Africa where I was a member of the Canadian observer mission to witness the election that took place last week.
Our team was dispersed in different parts of the country. I observed in seven areas of the eastern cape around East London, Transkei and Ciskei, including the second largest black township in the country. We visited polling stations in hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, churches, schoolrooms, as well as city halls. We witnessed voter registration and saw evidence of voter education.
From our observations we determined the elections to be fair and free of intimidation and violence. A majority of the electorate was in a position to vote and did so. Logistical, administrative and inadequate distribution of materials were challenges which did not daunt the voters' enthusiasm to cast their ballots.
The South African people are to be congratulated for their tremendous achievement toward the goal of democracy.