Johannesburg - The National Freedom Party, under Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, is hoping that the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) will give her party a reprieve on Thursday to participate in next month's municipal elections.
The NFP wrote to the IEC on Tuesday, alleging that its failure to register and pay registration fees was “political sabotage” by one of its own senior members.
It further alleged its members might have been influenced by a rival party.
The IEC was expected to react to the NFP’s appeal on Thursday.
The NFP, a breakaway faction from the IFP under Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was disqualified from participating in the municipal elections on August 3 after it failed to make payment to the IEC.
In its bid to reverse the decision, the party took the matter to the Electoral Court. But the court ruled against it, saying senior members who had since resigned - former national chairman Maliyakhe Shelembe and former secretary-general Nhlanhla Khubisa - were part of the IEC’s party liaison committee and had agreed to strict deadlines.
Due to the court’s verdict last Thursday, the NFP threatened to appeal to the Constitutional Court. However, it has since rescinded the threat.
NFP acting national chairman and City of Joburg councillor Bheki Gumbi said his party had obtained new evidence supporting its view that one of its own members had sabotaged the party.
Gumbi has placed the blame squarely on its suspended national treasurer, Xolani Ndlovu.
He claimed that on May 28, Ndlovu told senior party leaders he had already made payment to the IEC to contest in eight provinces, except the Northern Cape.
“We believed him. We had no reason to doubt him. Our surprise came on June 22, when the IEC announced that we were disqualified from participating in the elections. The IEC told us we were late by 20 days.
“All these happened when we had already filled 840 candidates. We had also signed the pledge on the code of conduct, including acceptance forms by individual candidates,” Gumbi said.
He said their decision not to approach the Constitutional Court came after several of their members produced new evidence and wrote affidavits claiming that Ndlovu’s failure to register candidates was an orchestrated plot, allegedly with the support of an unnamed rival party.
Detailing the alleged sabotage, Gumbi said: “In Joburg, the party was due to contest 78 out of the 135 wards. Ndlovu was provided with the names of candidates, but we later found out that he only forwarded the names of 32 candidates to the IEC.”
He claimed Ndlovu did the same in various other municipalities, including Westonaria.
“We were sabotaged to destroy the party. He did that successfully. All these things have been brought to the attention of the IEC.
“Some other political parties have also made sworn statements in support of our quest to participate except for one,” Gumbi said.
He refused to name the party, but insiders said it was the IFP.
Ndlovu has rejected the allegations against him.
“The list of candidates for Gauteng was submitted by the provincial chairperson, which was not what the circular from the SG (secretary-general) had said (all constituencies were to submit for themselves).
“These were, however, accepted after telephone communication with the relevant structures in Gauteng.”
He claimed that the list which was submitted by the chairperson had him as number one, while the minutes they received from the City of Joburg stated he had withdrawn his name.
The Star