THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Monday it would approach the Electoral Court to allow it to postpone eight by-elections scheduled for Wednesday.
The decision to seek the court’s approval to postpone the by-elections follows the announcement on Sunday by President Cyril Ramaphosa of additional measures to help curb the Third Wave currently gripping the country.
Under the latest regulations, gatherings are banned, including political, cultural and religious meetings.
The June 30 by-elections were set to take place in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu–Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape across 48 voting stations.
More than 70 000 registered voters would have taken to the polls.
“Wednesday’s by-elections were the final by-elections scheduled to be conducted prior to the cessation of by-elections ahead of the Local Government Elections scheduled for October this year,” the IEC said in a statement on Monday.
“They were to have been contested by 40 candidates from 14 political parties, and 3 independent candidates.”
The eight affected by-elections are as follows:
- Eastern Cape:
- Ward 03 in the Makana Municipality – EC104
- KwaZulu-Natal:
- Ward 98 in the eThekwini Municipality – ETH
- Ward 05 in the eDumbe Municipality – KZN261
- Northern Cape:
- Ward 01 in the Sol Plaatje Municipality – NC091
- Western Cape:
- Ward 51 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
- Ward 63 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
- Ward 01 in the Cederberg Municipality –WC012
- Ward 02 in the Swartland Municipality –WC015
Between March 2020 and March 2021 the Electoral Commission approached the Electoral Court to postpone over 100 by-elections during the first and second waves of the pandemic, the IEC said.
“These by-elections were safely conducted during lulls in the pandemic when restrictions were at level 1 during November and December 2020 and again during March, April and May 2021.”
Since the last general local government elections took place on 3 August 2016, the current term of all municipal councils in South Africa will expire on 3 August 2021, and general local government elections will have to be held by 1 November 2021 to elect new municipal councils.
- Inside Politics
