A low voter turnout expected for March elections

Political analysts have predicted a substantially lower voter turnout at this year’s municipal elections. Roger Southall, a political analyst at the Human Sciences Research Council says there is a big possibility that voter turnout will be substantially lower that in the 2000 local government elections. He says voters are more prepared to punish their parties by not voting in local elections, than in national polls. Patrick Lawrence, editor of the Helen Suzman Foundation's Focus magazine, says local elections generally do not generate the same interest as national elections because of a lack of drama.