Johnathan Paoli
uMkhonto weSizwe Secretary General Sihle Ngubane has requested a recount in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga amid allegations of ballot paper rigging in many parts of the country including in the Western Cape.
In a letter on Friday, Ngubane lodged a dispute to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) administration about the electronic counting system which in their view did not accurately reflect the overall percentages.
“You will recall that we did request the information regarding the IT service providers you appointed, which would have helped us do due diligence about them and the system they would have used thereof,” Ngubane wrote.
The secretary-general demanded an immediate switch to manual counting, especially in KZN but including Gauteng and Mpumalanga as well.
The current percentage of votes counted in the province stands at 96.96%, with MK leading with 45.36%, followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) at 18.44% and the African National Congress (ANC) coming in third at 17.14%.
In Gauteng, with counting at 91.6% completed, MK is in fourth place at 9.76%, with the ANC leading at 34.46%, followed by the DA at 27.7%, and the Economic FreedoVim Fighters (EFF) at 12.88%.
In Mpumalanga, with 99.01% already counted, MK is in second place with 17.01%, after the ANC’s 50.91% and the EFF holding third place at 13.87%.
MK’s Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla criticised the IEC, and alleged that it was manipulating the numbers.
“I will say this with no fear, IEC is part and parcel of helping the ANC of Ramaphosa and the DA in rigging the election results,” she said.
MK head of elections, Muzi Ntshingila, said the party is rejecting the outcome of the results displayed on the results board at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand.
Ntshingila held a press briefing and said the party was not satisfied with the response from the IEC after they raised several objections about the results, including the demand for a manual recount of the results.
“We can’t sit back and watch democracy be destroyed,” he said.
The Western Cape, an IEC media briefing scheduled for Friday night, was postponed to Saturday, amidst criticism from both the EFF and the National Coloured Congress (NCC) of vote rigging in favour of the DA.
The EFF Western Cape leader Unathi Ntame said the party had identified more cases of election fraud.
“We have raised issues with facts. Remember, during the day, the EFF, they stole one hundred votes,” Ntame said.
The NCC’s provincial chair Dawayne Jacobs echoed the EFF’s sentiments, and said they have taken steps to lay complaints about the voting process.
Former ANC Free State Premier and African Congress of Transformation (ACT) founder Ace Magashule, speaking to IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo, said there were a lot of irregularities which could be proven in a court of law to the commission.
“As Western Cape parties are calling for a recount, let’s just do a recount. If the IEC can allow us to do a recount, a can of worms is going to be opened,” Magashule said.
However, the IEC in the North West confirmed on Saturday morning that action will be taken against presiding officers at three voting districts in Matlosana, where irregularities were identified.
These included the number of votes not tallying, numbers being swapped, and result slips not being properly filled in.
IEC election observer Mpho Mokoena previously said the commission should offer the aggrieved political parties an extension deadline to lodge their objections.
“We want a free and fair outcome so an issue like this should be considered,” Mokoena said.
Complaints to the IEC close at 9 on Saturday evening.
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