IEC must implement ConCourt ruling

2 December 2015

The IFP welcomes the Constitutional Court ruling regarding the particularity of voter's address.

"The IFP will support and assist the IEC in the implementation of this ruling which must be put into effect without delay. We await the views of the Head of the IEC in KZN, Mr Mawethu Mosery as to his interpretation and how his office will implement the ruling," said IFP National Chairperson, Mr Blessed Gwala.

"We find the suggestion of the ANC to use schools and shops to confirm voter's addresses to be impractical and far-fetched. The use of schools will not be feasible because many schools principals and teachers do not reside in the ward where the school is situated and therefore will not know all of the residents and where they reside. The same would apply to shop owners who run their businesses in a particular area but will not be able to confirm people's addresses. Using schools to verify addresses also has the potential for abuse as many principals and teachers are members of SADTU which openly supports the ANC and is an affiliate of COSATU which is part of the tripartite alliance," continued Mr Gwala

"The IFP suggests that the IEC uses traditional leaders and izinduna who are permanent residents and respected leaders in their areas where there are no formal roads. Traditional leaders and izinduna are familiar with the people who live in the areas that they oversee and they will be best suited to verify the addresses of voters. If the IEC is serious about delivering a free and fair election next year, it must plug all loop holes in the electoral process which also include voter registration," concluded Mr Gwala.

Issued by Blessed Gwala, IFP National Chairperson, 2 December 2015