Elections boss lays down the law
With just days to go before what are set to be the most closely fought elections since 1994, M&G political editor spoke to Glen Mashinini, the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission
We will cross that bridge when we get there. As we speak right now, ballot papers are being printed and distributed, and so that will present a major challenge from a technical point of view. But I don’t want to discuss it because it’s sub judice. time [and] the law did not require a [voter’s] address. The amendment then came in 2003. At the time we were going to court, we were sitting with 24-million [eligible voters].
Now we have 26-million people on the voters’ roll. What the court has said now is that, going forward, we must get addresses. But it accepted that this was a much more intricate and complicated matter than perhaps even our media understood it.
You had people who were already registered and registered lawfully. Now, to disenfranchise a person because of their address was the issue that we felt we should take to the Constitutional Court to seek clarity. There were different interpretations. Interestingly, if you look at the ConCourt decision — there were three judgments in one.
This was not a simple issue as it was made out to be. Where we are sitting now, if you don’t have an address you now must supply us with [the applicable form], which is like an affidavit that confirms that this is where you live. If anybody proves that you have lied, that can attract up to five years [imprisonment] because that is a fraudulent act. It’s a criminal offence.
The Tlokwe matter is a slight distortion. It was around the issue of interpretation. We now all have the same interpretation because the Concourt is the final authority. logistics strategically.
The people who conduct elections are the 240 000 ordinary South African citizens who are brought in for five to 10 days and trained to conduct the elections.
For anyone who wants to interfere, you will have to get the collusion of all those 240 000 people. It doesn’t take one to be a genius to see that that’s not possible. [Laughs] My CV stands there in the public domain ... I am as professional as anybody else. I’ve had clients in my business that have ranged from [different] government departments to businesses. I’ve worked with the premier of KZN before. I’ve worked in the continent and I have done work with many other government departments.
Why don’t we ask the same questions about all those companies that have worked with a particular government department?
All of them are working in government, they are working in the presidency, they are working with the premiers. Everybody wants the business; you go and do your business — that’s it. As a professional you do your job and you move on. My track record speaks for itself.
So I am not sure what that question means. The process of my selection was a rigorous process that was chaired by the chief justice of the Constitutional Court. We have applauded his many decisions before. Why now are there questions about Mashinini?
In our Constitution, there are two things that are required for a person to be eligible [to hold this job] — they have to be a South African citizen and secondly not be an office bearer of a political party. I’m a South African citizen with extensive experience nationally and internationally in the field of elections and I’m not an office bearer of any political party.