Every so often you will notice placards against street lights shouting messages that promise a
better community, all by political parties. According to South African law, each province is broken
up into wards which can be managed by a certain political party. As with our national elections,
these elections also take place every four years.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all
elections taking place in South Africa are free and fair. They are not only responsible for ward elections,
but also for national elections like those taking place in 1994 and 1998.
The Website Under Analysis
This document will look at the organisation that is responsible for free and fair elections in South
Africa, the IEC. The website is very easy to find, when searching for it on a local Google search with
the term “elections” it is the first result.
The Target Market
With a website of this nature the target market is wide and varied. It can range from people who
would like more information about upcoming elections to students needing information for assignments.
Overview of the Website
When opening the website it is clear that you are on the website of the IEC, they have a clear
banner at the top of the page containing their name and anyone who has voted with notice their
emblem. One thing that is quite distracting on the page is the fact that about a fifth of the
right hand side of the screen is completely blank. Your eye immediately travels to this and you
inevitably wonder if there is something wrong with your computer.
However, what we have found is that the website doesn’t support any browser except Internet
Explorer. This can adversely affect their hits and something must be done about it urgently. The
website design consists of two columns on the side with links and the centre is used for text.
However, this format is not carried through the entire site.
The home page contains a scrolling text bar with information about an upcoming election, while
this is valuable information the text scrolls much too fast, people that read slower might not be
able to read it and because it is so fast it is a constant irritation while trying to read the rest
of the page.
Website Features and Website Structure
One of the most important and main functions of the website is the ability to check whether
you are registered for an upcoming election. However, this is only for ward elections and by all
probability voters will need to register separately for the next national election.
For the student the website features a ‘Knowledge Centre’ where they can find information about
the various acts that has an impact on the South African election landscape. To make it easier you
can also click on these links and get a PDF file with details. However, these are not complete Bills,
which make it much easier to work with.
Under the “Activities” link on the website you can find information about upcoming elections
in your area. By clicking on the link that has relevance to you, you will find detailed information
about the specific election. The website contains mainly factual information and there is no visible
website SEO copy.
Conclusion
The website contains a vast amount of valuable information for the South African public. There
are one or two things that can be improved, but otherwise it is a well presented website.
If you want the same analysis on your company's web site feel free to contact us today!
Email: info@etraffic.co.za for more details.
