IEC may have redeemed itself by firing employee who leaked lists

WHILE the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has fired its employee for leaking political parties’ candidate lists for the ANC and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, the incident has sent shock waves through the country, with politicians demanding answers and expressing loss of trust in the institution.

Political parties were concerned about the commission’s capability to deliver the upcoming general elections in May.

Following the leak, the ANC and MK Party had given the electoral body five days to explain what had transpired.

The IEC was able to determine where the downloads were from and that they had already been deleted.

According to the IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, the employee was identified and asked to make representations as to why she should not be terminated from the employ of the electoral body.

“We received the representations, and on that basis, we terminated the employment relationship.”

Another revelation was that the downloads were not limited to the two parties – other parties’ information was downloaded.

The employee from one of the IEC’s local offices had rights to access the system and reports but was not authorised to distribute or circulate the information.

Mamabolo said, “The computer that was used, it is subjected to forensic analysis. As part of that, we would probably establish the motive. She did confirm that it was her who logged on the computer and leaked the ANC and MK Party lists to the media.”

Among the questions raised by politicians was why the system allowed the extraction of the lists in the first place, given that at the time of the leak, the lists were yet to be processed by the IEC.

They said the unauthorised circulation of the lists undermined the clearly set out election timetable and processes of the 2024 provincial and national elections.

Swift action by the IEC is commended. However, the institution must strengthen its internal controls and imprint on its staff members the need to conduct themselves ethically to protect the institution’s integrity, if it wants to remain credible.