The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced that former President Jacob Zuma’s face will appear on the ballot as a substitute for the MK Party founder, Jabulani Khumalo.
The commission’s Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Masego Sheburi confirmed to the media on Tuesday that MKP had notified them about their change of plans ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.
“We can confirm that the face that will be on the ballot for the MK Party is that of Jacob Zuma because the party has given us notice that it has changed its leadership structure. Khumalo is no longer the party leader, Zuma is,” he clarified.
Khumalo registered MKP on September 7, 2023, and was officially launched by Zuma on December 16, 2023, in Soweto, Johannesburg.
MKP's website has also been updated to reflect the latest developments in its leadership.
This is despite the IEC demanding answers from the electoral court after it ruled that Zuma will be on the ballot on May 29.
The IEC briefed the media on the key aspects of the election timetable in the run-up to election day.
During the briefing, CEO Sy Mamabolo announced that the IEC was ready to print the ballot paper after finalising the candidate list.
“The 27 million registered voters will receive three ballot papers to elect candidates to represent them in the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures,” Mamabolo said.
He also said the IEC has set up about 23,292 voting stations for the looming elections.
According to Mamabolo, the highest number of voting stations will be in Kwazulu-Natal with 4, 974, Eastern Cape with 4,868, and Limpopo with 3,216.
“All voting stations are now contracted with lease agreements concluded with landlords or owners,” he said. Part of the key aspects include redesigning ballot papers.
The Commission has decided that the design of the ballot papers will be underpinned by the following identifiers:
- Full registered name of the party
- The photograph of the registered party leader
- The registered abbreviated name of the party
- The registered emblem or symbol of the party
Concerning independent candidates, the ballot papers will have:
- The name of the independent
- The photograph bearing the face of the independent and the word “INDEPENDENT”
IOL Politics