IEC on readiness to hold elections
THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it is not within its authority to extend the terms of councillors or postpone elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The electoral body made this clear when it was briefing Parliament’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs portfolio committee on its readiness to hold the upcoming municipal elections.
Briefing the committee, chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the consultation on the election date has commenced but not concluded.
Mamabolo said once the consultative process was finalised, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma would take the country into her confidence in terms of the precise election day.
He told MPs that elections would take place within 90 days of the expiry of the five-year term of the current councillors.
“For the 2021 Local Government elections, that 90-day window starts on August 4 and ends on November 1, 2021.”
He said there would be one voter registration weekend owing to budget cuts, and that it would be announced when the election date was determined.
Mamabolo also told the MPs that there were 1.2 million registered voters who did not have recorded addresses.
This was taking place against 24.6m who have complete addresses and 252000 with potentially incomplete addresses.
He said they have made a legal provision that would allow the 1.2 million people without address to vote on election day.
Janet Love, IEC’s board deputy chairperson, said there were issues of legitimacy on those holding elected positions when elections were not held.