IRR to go to court to oppose election postponement

5 August 2021

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has briefed a legal team to go to the Constitutional Court as a friend of the court to oppose the appeal by the Electoral Commission (IEC) to exceed the constitutional deadline for the national municipal elections.

The IRR has a long and proud history of fighting for universal franchise, and we are dismayed and surprised to find that this fight is not over.

The IRR’s action to #SaveTheVote arises from three key concerns:

• Section 159 of the Constitution sets a 1 November 2021 deadline for the next national municipal elections. We must protect the Constitution at this time when its authority is being so brazenly challenged.
• The IEC has made an error of judgement in concluding that it will be unable to hold free and fair elections on 27 October. Independent medical experts have argued that the IEC should be able to hold free and fair elections by applying the same common-sense measures that enable journalists to do their jobs, social security recipients to collect their grants, shoppers to buy groceries, and people to go to work. If anything, it is argued, February is likely to be a period of greater risk in terms of Covid than October, given the patterns of infection during the pandemic.
• Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has disenfranchised voters by prematurely proclaiming the election before in-person voter registration was conducted. This dereliction of duty serves to pre-empt any Constitutional Court decision. In effect, it means that even if the court finds that the country can hold free and fair elections on the grounds of adequately averting Covid-related risks, the election still cannot go ahead in a free and fair manner because voters have been disadvantaged by the premature proclamation.

The election is being sabotaged on these fronts and more. Whatever motivates the state organs’ dereliction of duty, the effect is to deprive citizens of their right to hold local government to account. This must be opposed. The IRR petition portal is still open at this link, to Save The Vote. 

Fight for your right to vote. Support the IRR’s campaign with a donation of R10. SMS your name to 38501 (Ts & Cs apply. SMS costs R10.)

Statement issued by Gabriel Crouse, IRR Head of Campaigns, 5 August 2021