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By Keagan Mitchell 
9h ago
Cape Town – WITH the world’s gaze fixed on the battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the US elections, American expats in South Africa await with great anticipation.
The showdown between incumbent President Trump and Democratic candidate Biden continues to keep audiences around the world glued to their televisions as Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris approach the White House.
Kristin Dunkle, who has lived in Cape Town for four years, said: “As an epidemiologist with 20 years of experience, I have been horrified and heartbroken to see from Cape Town how ignorance, callousness and Trump’s refusal to respect science they have led to the needless deaths of more than 235,000 people in America.
“A Biden / Harris administration will be grounded first and foremost in reality and restore respect for science in America’s policymaking at home and abroad. The lives of people in Africa who are unable to access comprehensive family planning services due to US funding restrictions linked to the global gag rule depends on it. “
Jonathan Ross, who has been living in Cape Town for five years, said: “People
everyone knows that when you play cards with a cheater, he or she will win until you say so or stop playing. Game over for Trump.
“We just saw how the state of Georgia went from winning Trump to winning Biden. The number of votes that separates candidates in many races is small. The small margins decide the elections, so the efforts of Democrats Abroad South Africa are paying off today in elections across the country. “
Ryan Macauley, who has been living in Cape Town for nearly a year, said that with the tight races seen in battle states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, every vote counts.
Now that Georgia is slated to push for Biden, it reinforces the fact that every vote, even those of Americans abroad, can have a major impact.
“Although he was not an early supporter of the Biden campaign, I acknowledge that he was well prepared to attract independent and Great Old Party voters. Unfortunately, he will have a difficult time in his early years to achieve his political agenda, as the Republicans will keep the Senate, “he said.
Meanwhile, on social media @fatma_karume tweeted: “If there is one lesson Africa must learn from the 2020 US elections, it is this: Elections are not decided by the military, the police, the security services, the election officials or the President. These people have a duty to ensure that the elections are decided by the people ”.
South Africa’s Country Leader for Democrats Abroad Elizabeth O’Leary said one of the most important differences would be that Biden would serve as president for all American citizens should he win.
“He will return decency, dignity and respect to the office. He and Kamala Harris will guide us in the direction of an America where all Americans can feel a sense of belonging. Both Pennsylvania and Georgia are very important for their number of electoral votes. Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes that would give it victory (more than 270) and Georgia has 16 electoral votes that would give it one less than 270, ”O’Leary said.
Bhekithemba Mngomezulu, professor of political science and vice dean for research in the EMS faculty at UWC, said the US elections would have a direct and indirect impact on South Africa.
“Although there will be no serious policy change whether Biden or Trump win, the reality of the matter is that the incumbent president usually determines the nature of relations with other countries. If Biden wins, we can seek better relations between South Africa and the United States, ”said Mngomezulu.
Institute for Global Dialogue Senior Research Associate Sanusha Naidu said this US election was based on vulnerability, uncertainty and ambiguity. Late yesterday, as Biden approached victory, the rand strengthened in foreign markets.
While the Republican Party has no chapters in South Africa, David Meredith, a member of Republicans Abroad, said: “In this election, the Republican Party appears to have increased its turnout in the House of Representatives and have as many Senate seats as before. .
“This continues a trend since the presidency of Barack Obama, when there was a significant net loss nationwide in the number of positions held by elected Democrats.”
Argus weekend
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