Durban - The National Freedom Party (NFP) has called on the Electoral Commission of South Africa to expedite the introduction of electronic voting ahead of the 2024 general election.
This comes following the sentencing of 37-year-old teacher, Nomusa Gabuza, for vote rigging during last year’s local government elections. She casted 27 votes for the party of her choice at a school where she was the presiding officer.
After pleading guilty for contravention of the Local Government Municipal Electoral Act of 2000, Gabuza was sentenced by the Umlazi Regional Court and handed a three years’ correctional supervision sentence.
In the wake of Gabuza’s arrest, the NFP is calling on the Electoral Commission of South Africa of SA (IEC) to consider accelerating the introduction of electronic voting for 2024 general elections.
Gabuza is said to have confessed to having arrived early on the day of the election and proceeded to cast 12 votes for the municipality and 12 votes for the party of her choice.
NFP secretary-general Canaan Mdletshe condemned Gabuza’s actions saying that this demonstrates that corruption and fraud were real and occurs during the elections despite all the preventative measures that have been put in place.
“It is clear that there are political parties that have been advantageous simply because the IEC would unconsciously appoint individuals as presiding officers when in fact a person is a card-carrying member of a certain political party.
“To avoid vote rigging and stealing, we are making a call on the IEC to consider fast-tracking the process of introducing e-voting, especially for 2024 elections,” Mdletshe said.
He said that the 2024 elections could be utilised as a trial run for the electronic voting and that the system can then be wholly introduced in 2026.
However, Mdletshe added that they were well aware of the fact that there were all sorts of fraud that might occur with the usage of technology as corrupt individuals would try and breach the system.
“But our view is that a system can always be improved. Unlike corrupt individuals, who no matter what, they would always still vote, cast extra votes for their favourite parties.
“South Africa is moving fast towards being part of the global community where technology dominates daily living. That is why we are convinced that e-voting could not necessarily be a taboo.
“For the 2024 elections, we would need to be vigilant as they are likely to be the most intense elections this country has ever held,” Mdletshe added.
In September 2020 the IEC said it had to shelve plans to pilot electronic voting during by-elections that year and in the early parts of 2021 due to a lack of funding resulting from the perilous state of the country’s public finances.
At the time Sy Mamabolo, the commission’s chief executive, said that the commission had envisaged using by-elections in certain districts around the country to pilot electronic voting to garner experience from the exercise before rolling out the project countrywide for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
The Democratic Alliance also welcomed Gabuza’s sentencing with the party saying that it had on numerous occasions questioned whether the IEC conducts free and fair elections.
DA Member of Parliament and spokesperson on Home Affairs Angel Khanyile said that the judgment was a clear indication that all teachers must not be allowed to be IEC employees during elections.
“In a country with such a high rate of unemployment, such employment opportunities should be given to unemployed individuals.
“The DA trusts this judgment will send a strong message to everyone who contravenes the Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act of 2000 that they will be punished for transgressions,” Khanyile said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE