AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
SOUTH African political parties who had missed the deadline to register candidates for the municipal elections have been given a lifeline by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The IEC announced today that registration for candidates would be reopened and political parties will be able to register their candidates on September 19 and 20. The announcement would come as a great relief to the ANC, the dominant party in most municipalities which had failed to register candidates in several municipalities.
IEC commissioners have dismissed allegations that the re-opening of registration for candidates was designed to favour the ANC.
IEC chairperson Glenn Mashinini said: “A meeting of the National Party Liaison Commission was held earlier today. It is clear and there are different interpretations amongst parties as to whether the order of the Constitutional Court permits the Commission to re-open nominations. The Commission has taken advice on the matter and is of the view that amending the timetable to re-open nominations is reasonably necessary in the circumstances.””
Mashinini announced that prospective voters will be able to register during a special registration weekend – September 19 to 20.
The announcement by the IEC follows a decision by the Constitutional Court to reject an application by the elections management body that elections should be rescheduled.
Mashinini said: “In view of the fact that the voter registration process has been re-opened by the order of the Constitutional Court, a number of amendments to the electoral timetable are necessary. This is permitted by the Constitutional Court’s order, which makes clear that the Commission is entitled to “publish such amendments to the current timetable as may be reasonably necessary”.
“ This includes the need to set a new deadline for candidate nominations. The scheme of the Municipal Electoral Act is that the voter registration deadline is intended to precede the candidate nomination deadline. For example, persons can only be nominated as candidates once registered on the voters’ roll and provided they are registered in the relevant segment concerned.
“It is, therefore, necessary to allow political parties and independent candidates an opportunity to nominate candidates after the registration weekend of 18-19 September 2021 has occurred and after the voters’ roll has closed.”
He announced that the IEC had already taken measures to ensure that it complied with the Constitutional Court ruling and was ready to hold the municipal elections. Mashinini said the IEC staff met over the weekend and a meeting has already been held with political parties to chart the way forward.
A consultation has also been held with Dr Nkosazana Zuma, the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
“The Commission also held a consultative meeting with the Minister of COGTA. In line with the orders of the Court, the Commission has advised the Minister that it will be proceeding with a registration weekend on 18 and 19 September 2021. This means that the Minister will on 20 September 2021 proclaim the date of the election. This proclamation of the election date will cause the voters’ roll to be closed for purposes of the 2021 municipal elections,” he said.
He said once Dlamini-Zuma had proclaimed the election date, the IEC would publish an amended election timetable.
“The truncated timeline is reasonably necessary to meet the outer deadline for the conduct of the 2021 municipal elections. Furthermore, the Commission has acquired 40 000 Voter Management Devices which will be used for the first time over the registration weekend. These devices will, in most registration stations, be functioning online. This will facilitate the process of voter verification almost instantaneously. The mapping functionality on the device will facilitate the correct registration of voters in relation to the ward of ordinary residence. The expectation is that the registration data will be consolidated sooner than has hitherto been the case. This will allow for the inspection voters’ roll to be prepared and for objections to close on 23 September 2021.”
