Johannesburg - The ANC has recommended that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) should plan for elections to be held on October 27 as planned.
This was said by ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte during virtual oral hearings at the Moseneke Inquiry into Free and Fair Local Government Elections during Covid-19 on Friday.
However, EFF leader Julius Malema maintained his party's request at the same hearings earlier for the elections to be postponed for the safety of people
Former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke was appointed by the IEC to lead a process to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 on conditions conducive for the holding of free and fair elections on October 27.
“Democracy cannot be suspended indefinitely. As the governing party we have a duty to uphold the Constitution and keep the promise to our people that they can select a new government of their choice every five years,” Duarte said.
She said, however, they should not take the safety of the people lightly nor risk their lives by insisting they could campaign and vote as if they lived in normal times.
“The conditions that would justify the postponement of basic democratic rights would have to be judged objectively. Under current alert level 4 conditions, campaigning is impossible and the holding of safe elections is much more difficult. Under alert level 3 it is very difficult to campaign. Under alert level 1 and 2 the by-elections held have shown us that safe elections are possible,” said Duarte.
“Special voting should be extended to all over 40 and to the Sunday before election day to also include those who work on election day. If the extra day is unaffordable, elections could be held on Tuesday, October. 26
“If the restrictions on gatherings are not lifted soon, or the wave intensifies, the IEC should request the Constitutional Court to postpone for the shortest possible period, a minimum of one month and a maximum of six months,” said Duarte.
Malema said free and fair elections means they must have access to the voters without any restraints
He said one of the restraints they have had in the past were the areas declared as “no go areas”.
“We knew when someone said no go area, no one was welcome there. Now the whole territory today of elections has been declared a ‘no go area’, why would you say you’ll have free and fair elections when there is a lockdown that has declared a no go area, you are guaranteed you will not have free and fair elections,” Malema said.
He said the by-elections were postponed beyond 90 days and what the EFF is asking the IEC to do and they are not asking them to do what they have not done before.
“The EFF is just making a simple request, let us postpone until April next year. The IEC postponement of by-elections was 244 days long last year and not during the time of former president Nelson mandela.
“By the end of October this year there would be clarity in terms of vaccination and monitor behavioural patterns of the pandemic until we are all guaranteed we are safe. The IEC must approach the ConCourt on the basis of rationality to illustrate that it will not be possible to hold elections under the current conditions,” Malema said.
He said if Moseneke’s report indicated that the elections should go ahead then they would not comply with Covid-19 regulations.
“I do not have a comment on that,” said Moseneke.
Malema was then quick to tell Moseneke that they would not undermine him because they respected him.
Several other political parties have made submissions at the inquiry giving opposing views on whether the elections should be postponed.
The Health Department believes holding elections could put citizens at risk of contracting Covid-19.
This was part of oral submissions made by the department’s director-general Dr Sandile Buthelezi on Thursday at the IEC inquiry.
Buthelezi said the plan was that by February 2022, at least 40 million should be vaccinated
Political Bureau