The IEC is forging ahead with plans for a by-election in Abaqulusi, despite a possible Con Court challenge threatening to delay it.
|||Durban - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is forging ahead with plans for next week’s by-election in Abaqulusi (Vryheid) ward 22, despite a possible Constitutional Court challenge threatening to delay it.
The by-election - scheduled for Wednesday - had to be postponed in April after former ANC councillor Andre Lotter successfully convinced the Electoral Court that there was a need to investigate irregularities with the registration of voters.
In his application he claimed that some 2 800 people had been brought in from neighbouring wards and fraudulently registered in ward 22.
After launching an investigation into these claims the IEC found that 1 525 people from other wards had been wrongfully registered to vote in the by-election.
Provincial Electoral Officer for KwaZulu-Natal, Mawethu Mosery, said the investigations had shown that “this is an organised exercise”.
These people have now been removed from the voters roll of that ward, said IEC chairwoman Pansy Tlakula, adding that the police were investigating the incidents.
“The IEC is satisfied that the voters roll for ward 22 is now credible and on that basis the chief electoral officer certified same for use on the August 7, by-election.”
But Lotter believes there are more such cases.
He has asked for leave to appeal the Electoral Court decision as he wants an independent body to probe the matter.
On Wesnesday Lotter, who attended a press briefing by the IEC in Durban, accused the commission of being “a branch of the ANC” and vowed that, if necessary, he would lodge a last-minute application with the Electoral Court to ensure that the by-election was postponed once again.
Tlakula responded to Lotter saying: “It is an independent and impartial constitutional body.”
She said the commission took electoral fraud seriously and had met with the police and the prosecutorial authorities to emphasise that such cases should be investigated thoroughly and successfully prosecuted.
Tlakula said those found guilty of electoral fraud could face up to 10 years in jail, while political parties could be removed from the ballot.
She said only the Electoral Court could impose those sanctions, not the commission.
The IEC said it had put measures in place to ensure that electoral fraud was prevented, which included talking to political parties.
Mosery said the IEC would also be thorough on registering people who move from one voting station to another. Electronic equipment would be used to show where people had been registered before so as to prevent similar cases.
The IEC was also investigating similar cases at KwaMashu and Jozini.
bheki.mbanjwa@inl.co.za
Daily News
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