ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the decision of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to declare next weekend as a voter registration weekend.
This comes as the commission this week also announced the reopening of the candidates’ registration process after it was closed two weeks ago.
Last week, the commission’s application to the Constitutional Court to have the elections which had been scheduled for October 27 postponed due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 lockdown regulations on adequate preparations and party campaigning for the elections.
“We agree with the IEC that there is an inextricable link between voter registration and the right to stand for public office. Section 93 of our Constitution provides that ‘every adult citizen has the right to vote in elections for any legislative body established in terms of the Constitution and to do so in secret and also to stand for public office and if elected to hold office’.
“The ANC therefore further welcomes the decision to reopen candidate registration on September 20 and 21. We believe this is in line with constitutional and legislative prescripts, so this we welcome. Let us all go out to serve our people and to improve the lives of the people of South Africa selflessly,” Ramaphosa said.
Following the court’s decision last Friday to forge ahead with the elections between October 27 and November 1, several political parties called for the commission not to reopen candidate registration as the ANC had sought in an application it launched and later withdrew from the Electoral Court.
Political Bureau