Democracy: More Than Just Elections

Brigalia Bam’s name has become synonymous with South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission IEC). Understandably so, since she spent 12 years at the helm of the organisation. With the resignation of Judge Johann Kriegler, Bam, who was his deputy, was thrust centre stage by President Nelson Mandela, just months before the second democratic elections in 1999. Yet, long before the IEC and a post-apartheid South Africa even became a reality, Brigalia Bam was honing her leadership skills, along with her passionate activism. As a young girl, from around the age of 10, she supervised teams of young married women, older than her who worked in her family’s fields, including managing their time. She wrote letters on their behalf to their husbands who were away working on the mines and as a result she gained the respect of those who were older than her. This enabled her to relate to many different people, of all ages. It equipped her with valuable life skills and the ability to serve people, which became critical to the leadership roles she would later occupy at various organisations like the Young Women’s Christian Association, the World Council of Churches and the International Union Federation. After living in Europe for 21 years she returned to South Africa and joined the South African Council of Church. Democracy: More than just elections is journey of resilience and integrity by a woman who became conscious of the oppression of her people, especially women, at an early age. It is Brigalia Bam’s journey of activism, of fighting apartheid South Africa, of a difficult forced migration from her country of birth and her return to continue the fight for justice and equality. The ‘burning issues’ and challenges that she faced are chronicled in the book, from the toilet wars in the Western Cape and Free State to Tlokwe, a convoluted saga that continues today. She discusses the link between service delivery protests and elections, boundary demarcation battles and other contentious issues that tested her integrity. The book is a plea to South Africans to recognise that women are a powerful force in advancing democracy; that their leadership roles must be encouraged and nurtured. It is also presents an argument for a new electoral system for South Africa, one that will encourage greater responsibility and accountability from all levels of society.