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South Africa has one more thing to be proud of as a stable and functional democracy, after credible local government elections took place peacefully.
As South Africans, we take this for granted and expect no less. But this is not a luxury enjoyed by many other societies on our planet.
The last time the country experienced persistent elections-related bloodshed was during the historic 1994 elections, when conservative elements tried to sabotage the ushering in of the democratic era, and during the 1995/96 local government polls, when ANC-IFP violence wreaked havoc in parts of the country.
But since then, the country has stabilised and the only heated battles we have experienced have been over poll percentages.
The August 3 elections were intensely contested. The initial period after the announcement of candidates was followed by protests and violence in some instances.
This should serve as a lesson for political parties to ensure that they are more careful when they next have to choose their candidates.
We cannot prescribe how the parties make their choices, but they should be mindful of not allowing the process to cause conflicts and the unnecessary loss of life.
However, it is what happened on Wednesday that deserves special mention.
After months of being bombarded with political speeches, adverts, posters, leaflets and T-shirts, close to 60% of registered voters braved the chilly weather to make their mark and choose their local representatives.
We had hoped for a better turnout, but, by international standards, this was high.
Regardless of their choices, the voters sent a clear message that they were prepared to use their votes to make a statement about their political preferences.
It was an unpredictable outcome that politicians woke up to on Thursday.
Depending on party negotiations over the next few days, we could have a vastly different governance in place in four major metros within a week.
There are signs that our democracy is maturing and that politicians can no longer afford to take voters for granted. They will have to earn their votes and work hard to retain their loyalty.
