Umdoni ward election delayed

THE IEC has postponed the ward 13 by-election in Umdoni, which was set to take place today.

The decision was made after the DA filed urgent papers with the Electoral Court. The party claimed that around 235 additional voters were added to the voters roll during the registration weekend in January 2022.

The ward comprises Hazelwood, Riverside Park, a portion of the CBD, and the NPA, Msholozi and Sanathan informal settlements.

During the local government elections in November, the ward was won by Ravinand Samlall Maharaj.

He was a DA councillor at the time. But shortly after winning the ward, Maharaj joined the ANC, prompting the by-election.

Dean Macpherson, an MP and the KZN chairperson for the DA, said many, if not all, of the added voters did not live in the ward. The added names were an attempt to ensure an ANC victory.

“The addresses provided by potential voters are either so vague that it was impossible to determine whether the addresses are actually in the ward or simply do not exist at all.

“The DA dutifully raised our objections and the findings of our own investigation to both the local and provincial IEC where we were advised that this would be investigated and feedback provided.”

Thabani Ngwira, the spokesperson for the IEC in KwaZulu-Natal, said the by-election was postponed and a new date would be given within the next 90 days.