President Nangolo Mbumba has congratulated the citizens and political parties of South Africa for the peaceful election held last week.

He describes the process as the most important, stating that elections are not meant to destroy countries but to renew the mandate of those elected to represent the citizens.

Dr. Mbumba says elections must ensure that citizens enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Constitution and that SADC remains peaceful.

52 political parties contested South Africa's elections, with no party gaining an outright majority, which will now result in a coalition government.

The governing ANC secured 159 of the 400 seats in Parliament after obtaining 40% of the total votes for the first time, losing the absolute majority in the country's three decades of democracy.

No pronouncements have been made on possible coalitions, although the parties have started engaging each other. 

However, all have committed to forming a government that reflects the will of the people.

President Mbumba says the peaceful nature of the election period in South Africa is an indication of stability in the SADC region at large.

"Democracy means that every five years you must report to the citizens of the country to be elected or thrown out of office. We in Namibia and the SADC region must congratulate the citizens and political parties of South Africa for what they have done in peace. They have voted, and that is the most important thing. It does not help that elections come to destroy our countries. Elections only come to renew the mandate of those who represent us in Parliament, regional councils, or local authority councils. It does not give you the right to destroy your country because the country must remain, stay in peace, and be united, and your people must enjoy those rights that are enshrined in our constitutions. We thank the South Africans, all of them, and we thank God that there is peace in southern Africa. If one of our countries has no peace, then none of us will enjoy peace, and we will not be able to develop our economies. So they will do whatever they have to do now to make sure that they have a new or renewed president and that South Africa continues to function as a democratic country and as free people."

Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique are the SADC member states that are still to have general elections this year.