Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela has confirmed to IOL that the email address of Bethuell Terrence Nkosi, a man who allegedly asked the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to block former president Jacob Zuma from contesting the 2024 elections, was hacked.
“Everything we have picked up is that his email was clearly compromised and his signature was forged and pasted in the objection,” he said.
He said that they had been in contact with him to find out if it was indeed true or not.
According to Ndhlela, Nkosi got back to him and said that he was unaware of the matter and that his identity had been used to post the objection.
“He then distanced himself from the matter and from what we heard, what he shared with us via email, is that he is going to withdraw the objection,” he said.
Nkosi is one of the people mentioned in the MKP court papers which were filed with the Electoral Court.
This is after MKP filed its appeal with the Electoral Court.
Ndhela told IOL that the objection was unfair and that the IEC was working outside of its mandate because Section 47 focuses on the membership of the National Assembly and not candidates.
“The IEC’s mandate has got to do with the candidacy of the parliamentary list. We feel they are overreaching, which is a problem, and that objection is going to fall flat.
The Electoral Court has until April 9 to rule on the appeal of the barring of Zuma as a candidate in the elections.
The commission said it will file its papers at the Electoral Court on Thursday
IOL Politics