"This publication marks the culmination of the efforts of millions of South Africans - and hundreds of thousands of electoral staff - in entrenching democracy and democratic values in this country ..."                                                                               

An Atlas of Results has been produced subsequent to the 2 June 1999 elections and gives a spatial (geographic) overview of the results of the national election.

The Atlas uses the technique of spatial management reporting to record trends and graphically illustrate the results of the 1999 national election in an accessible and understandable format. Voting-age population density, registration patterns, voter turnout, leading party indications, support for each of the individual parties, and the degree of the lead or lag for each of the parties in every voting district are examples of the map themes covered.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology was used for the various map themes, with colours indicating clearly the result in each of the 14 650 voting districts according to the theme represented by each map.

Voting-age population density

Nine maps are provided, one for each province. These depict the geographic distribution by voting district of the estimated number of potential voters.

Registration

These maps, one national and nine provincial, show by municipality the registration patterns of the 18 172 751 voters whose applications for registration were accepted and whose particulars were therefore entered on the voters’ roll.

Detailed breakdowns (rural/urban, formal/informal settlement and age distribution) are provided with each of these 10 registration maps.

Voter turnout

Voter turnout percentages for the 1999 national election are compared with those for the 1994 national and 1995/6 municipal elections. Spoilt votes are similarly reflected.

Leading party by voting district

These maps show the party which obtained the largest share of the votes cast in a particular voting district (although not necessarily the majority of votes).

Percentage support by voting district

The distribution of support for each of the sixteen parties participating in the national election is reflected on individual national maps. Maps of each province and of the six metropolitan councils are included for those parties with more than 10 representatives in the National Assembly.

Lead or Lag by voting district

This map series shows the marginality (or otherwise) in each voting district of the parties contesting the national election. Lag constitutes the difference between the percentage of the vote received by the party indicated and the percentage of the vote received by the leading party in that voting district. Lead constitutes the difference between the percentage of the vote received by the party indicated - which in this case will be the leading party - and the percentage of the vote received by the party which polled the second highest number of votes in that voting district.

Comparison of election results

This section compares those parties which gained representation in the 1994 national, 1995/6 municipal and 1999 national elections. Similarly, 1999 party support in the national election is compared with that in the provincial elections. One of the larger variations between the national and provincial elections (in Mmabatho) is shown here:

IEC Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Contact Detail

The Atlas of Results is a leather-bound A3 colour publication (228 pages) and can be ordered from the GIS department at +27 12 428 5700 (international)/012 428 5700 (national) at a cost of R5 000. A CD-ROM is included with each copy of the Atlas: this contains the election results by voting district as well as a Powerpoint '97 presentation of all the maps in the Atlas.