Johannesburg - A tug of political war is looming in political circles ahead of the upcoming local government elections as the DA has already indicated its intention to oppose the application of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to postpone elections until February.
The DA announced their decision moments after the ANC told the media that they are going to support the IEC’s application in the Constitutional Court on Friday.
ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte was speaking to the media on Thursday when she announced that her party had already drafted its affidavit in support of the IEC’s application. But it appears that the ANC is not in support of the February deadline as recommended by the Moseneke Report – but has vowed to consult with other parties about the deadline.
Duarte was adamant that her party and others needed more time to consult with the electorate and sell their respective election manifestos.
Moments later, DA leader John Steenhuisen issued a statement that his party was going to oppose the IEC’s application in the Concourt.
“Through our lawyers we have given the IEC a deadline of tomorrow, Friday, August 6, to agree to stick to their prescribed time frame for holding the elections, and to insert a registration period ahead of the elections, along with a mechanism to reopen the voters roll in order to add new names. The roll was closed when the election date of October 27 was proclaimed by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma on August 3.
“Failure by the IEC to do so will leave us no choice but to defend our Constitution and the democratic rights of voters in court,” Steenhuisen said.
Political Bureau