The IEC is correct to allow Candidate Nominations to occur after the Voter Registration on 18th and 19th September 2021. The IRR’s “#SaveThe Vote” campaign is misunderstanding the mandate of the IEC.
The IEC’s statutory responsibility is to competently deliver to South Africans the mechanisms for credible and effective elections at all levels and at all times. The IEC is not interested in the fortunes or misfortunes of political parties. An important component, nonetheless, of the IEC is its National Party Liaison Commission where all registered political parties participate.
The IEC, acted prudently, when faced with retired Judge Moseneke’s, now discredited, recommendation to postpone the elections, by approaching the Consitutional Court for clarity, which the IEC has now received. The IEC’s Kate Bapela’s statement on 6 September 2021 perfectly explains what the IEC’s responsibilites are, after the Constitutional Court’s Judgement to the effect that the local government Elections may not be postponed.
The relevant extract from her statement is
“The scheme of the Municipal Electoral Act is that the voter registration deadline is intended to precede the candidate nomination deadline. For example, persons can only be nominated as candidates once registered on the voters’ roll and provided they are registered in the relevant segment concerned. It is therefore necessary to allow political parties and independent candidates an opportunity to nominate candidates after the registration weekend of 18-19 September 2021 has occurred and after the voters’ roll has closed.”
It was with understandable glee that the ANC’s rival political parties noted the breakdown in its administration. The other parties were all ready with their lists of candidates. Astonishingly, the DA has nominated its full number of PR and Ward candidates in each and every the municipality.