Nominations close for 2011 municipal elections
24 Mar 2011
Acceptances of party lists and nominations of candidates for the 2011 Municipal Elections at local offices of the Electoral Commission (IEC) will close on 25 March 2011 at 17h00.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Adv. Pansy Tlakula, wanted to remind parties that tomorrow is the cut-off date for political parties to submit their notice of intention to contest and a party list of their candidates to the Commission's local representative. Parties must also pay the prescribed deposit with the supporting documents centrally or to the Commission's local representative.
Registered parties and nominators of independent candidates that intend to contest a ward election must also submit their nominations at the Commission's local representatives in the prescribed manner.
The notices must be accompanied by the acceptance of nomination by each candidate and a copy of the identity document of each candidate.
The deposits payable by bank guaranteed cheque are as follows:
- R4 000 per metropolitan council
- R2 500 per local council with wards
- R1 500 per local council without wards and per District Council
- R1 000 per independent ward candidate
- R1 000 per ward candidate nominated by a party who is not contesting the election of the relevant municipal council by way of a party (PR) list.
Adv. Tlakula said a party that would contest elections in all municipalities could field a maximum of 9 086 candidates for direct election and would have to pay deposits totalling R633 000. A deposit paid by a party or ward candidate is refundable if a party is allocated at least one seat in the municipal council or if the ward candidate received at least 10% of the total number of votes cast in the ward election.
Candidates have to be registered voters in the municipality they want to contest.
Municipal Electoral Officers countrywide have been receiving lists since Tuesday and are processing them. "The IEC appreciates the fact that parties and independent candidates have started earlier than in any other election to submit their lists and deposits," said Adv. Tlakula.
Following the closing of the submission of candidates' lists and the prescribed deposits, the immediate key activities in terms of the election timetable are as follows:
4 April: Notification to a party or independent candidate of non-compliance regarding outstanding documents.
8 April by 17h00: Submission to the IEC by a party and independent ward candidate of outstanding documents.
12 April: Compilation by the IEC of a list of the parties contesting the elections and the certification of their candidates' lists.
12 April: Compilation by the IEC of lists of candidates contesting each ward.
Since submissions will be made to the Electoral Commission's local offices (Municipal Electoral Officers), media representatives who wish to observe the process first hand may contact the following officials at the addresses appearing below:
Eastern Cape
Buffalo City [East London], 12 Ganteaume Crescent, Buffalo City
For more information please contact:
Rev. Bongani Finca
Tel: 043 709 4200
KwaZulu-Natal
eThekwini Metro [Durban], 6th Floor, 75 Dr Langalibalele Dube Street, Durban
For more information please contact:
Sipho Cele
Tel: 031 334 9600
Gauteng
Tshwane Metro [Pretoria], HB Phillips Building, 320 Bosman Street (Cnr Bosman and Schoeman), Pretoria
For more information please contact:
Rev Mphephu
Tel: 012 358 1170
Western Cape
City of Cape Town [Cape Town], The Bridge, 1st Floor, Unit 4, 304 Durban Road, Bellville
For more information please contact:
Granville Abrahams
Tel: 021 910 5700
Statement issued by the Independent Electoral Commission, March 24 2011
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