Institute objects to Zuma candidacy

President Zuma during a press briefing after a meeting with the National Planning Commission at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. South Africa. 03/07/2013

President Zuma during a press briefing after a meeting with the National Planning Commission at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. South Africa. 03/07/2013

Published Mar 31, 2014

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Bloemfontein - The Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa (IFAISA) has filed an objection against President Jacob Zuma as a candidate in the May 7 general elections.

This emerged from an open letter it sent to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) at the weekend.

IFAISA spokesman Paul Hoffman said on Monday the objection was against Zuma's number one position on the list of African National Congress candidates.

The institute said its objection was lodged ex abundante cautela (from excessive caution) as the ANC was still considering the objection letter and had not yet responded substantively to it.

The institute said its objection was based on several issues mentioned in a letter addressed to ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Friday, March 28.

The letter includes arguments based on the Public Protector's “Secure in Comfort” report on Zuma's Nkandla residence and review proceedings, which the Democratic Alliance had pending against the decision to withdraw 783 charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering against Zuma.

“The mere existence of the criminal charges laid against the candidate by the objector, the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Democratic Alliance, were sufficient for the purposes of this objection,” IFAISA's letter reads.

IFAISA sent its objection to the IEC on Sunday. IEC spokeswoman Kate Bapela said the deadline for submitting objections to parties' candidate lists for the May 7 elections was 5pm on Tuesday, April 1.

“We would then know the number of objections and the detail,” she said on Monday afternoon.

Sapa

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