THE Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa said on Friday it will move ahead and postpone South Africa’s local government elections, originally scheduled to be held in October 2021.
The commission cited the Moseneke Report published earlier this week as a key factor behind the postponement, as well as concerns around the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing a media briefing on Friday, IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini said that the commission unanimously accepted the report and will now urgently approach a competent court to have the elections postponed.
This will have to be either through the Electoral Court or the Constitutional Court.
“The Commission unanimously accepts the findings of the Moseneke Report. In particular, the Commission notes the rational and central thesis of the report that community immunity through mass vaccination must be considered as a desirable step in the conduct of a safe, free and fair election in the Republic,” said Mashinini.
He said that consultation will be undertaken with National Treasury on the financial implications of the postponement, as well as with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs around other logistics.
He said the IEC will immediately consult with the Minister of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs, Dr NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma, as the authority responsible for the proclamation of the upcoming general elections of municipal councils and Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Local Government Elections.
Mashinini said a new date for voter registration will also be announced in due course, with all other election activities to continue until the court has made its decision.
“The new dates for the voter registration weekend will be announced in due course. In the meantime, the Commission reminds all eligible voters that the online registration facility launched recently will continue to provide a safe, convenient and easy way to register as a voter and to update registration details,” said Mashinini.
“Since its launch on 14 July, more than 8 648 voters have already successfully used the system to register or change registration details. Until a court of competent jurisdiction has determined the application for deferral, all other planned electoral activities will proceed.”
The Moseneke report was overseen by former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke who was asked to review the current conditions and if they are conducive to hold elections.
His team recommended that the elections be postponed from October as they would not be free and fair, but should not be held later than February 2022.
Moseneke said that there were specific concerns around the amount of time political parties will have to prepare for elections, as well as the ongoing Covid-19 situation in South Africa.
He said that the current timetable set for the registration of voters and all the processes around the announcement of the date of the elections, cannot reasonably be kept, given the uncertainty of the lockdown level and restrictions in place.
These restrictions, he said, could still be extended further when the latest deadline – 25 July – is reached
- Inside Politics
