Busa urges employers to let staff vote

Johannesburg - Business Unity SA (Busa) has urged all employers to make provision for their staff to vote in the local government elections on Wednesday.

"It is important to maximise the involvement of voters in these elections, notwithstanding that tomorrow, May 18, is a public holiday," Busa said.

The business formation said that for democracy to deepen and widen in the country, citizens should be free to participate in the democratic process as they saw fit. "It (the election) is an opportunity for citizens to hold their political leaders accountable for service delivery," it said.

Earlier on Tuesday trade union federation Cosatu repeated its call for voting days to be declared non-trading public holidays.

Spokesperson Patrick Craven urged employers to allow workers time off to vote.

“To prevent workers from voting is a criminal offence,” he said.

“We urge the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) to set up a toll-free number for people to phone if they are being prevented from voting by their employer,” said Craven.