Election delay a necessary evil born of failure
20 August 2021
The Constitutional Court case being brought by the IEC today is a blight on our democracy that should make every South African angry.
While ActionSA remains opposed to the postponement of the election, the inaction of both the ANC and the IEC has created a scenario in which a postponement of the election is the lesser evil than the alternative – an October election where many South Africans would have been deprived of a proper opportunity to register to vote and make their voices heard. Through its actions, the IEC has worked to undermine South Africa's faith in an October election and their competence as an institution.
Today, many parties and applicants will focus on the jurisdiction of the court in this matter, or the arguments for and against postponement, but the fact of the matter remains that an election at the end of October would produce a democratic crisis.
Let’s consider the fundamentals, should the elections continue on 27 October 2021: