MK Party calls for IEC’s Janet Loves’ resignation

THE uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has called for Electoral Commissioner Janet Love’s head.

This comes just as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) confirmed its intention to challenge Tuesday’s Electoral Court decision to rule in favour of MKP leader Jacob Zuma being an MKP candidate in the upcoming elections.

The Electoral Court upheld Zuma’s appeal against the IEC after it had struck Zuma off the MKP’s candidates list.

This enabled Zuma to be the face of the party in the May 29 elections after the commission previously upheld an objection to Zuma being included on the list because of his previous conviction of and sentence for contempt of court in 2021.

Yesterday, the MKP reacted strongly against the IEC after the commission confirmed that it would be challenging Tuesday’s judgment at the apex court.

MKP spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela this week called into question Love’s allegiance to the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa, with Ndhlela saying any attempt by the IEC to challenge the decision of the court would not be in the interest of the elections.

“After considerable reflection, the MKP condemns Janet Love’s conduct and therefore calls for her resignation as the Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) with immediate effect for her blatant acts of bias,” Ndhlela said.

“As the MKP, we were prepared to give Ms Love, who has been a loyal serving member of the ANC and a close confidante of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the benefit of the doubt. But in light of the above, we have now come to the conclusion that Janet Love is highly vested in the outcomes of the upcoming elections and cannot be trusted to oversee nor be involved in these elections,” he said.

In October last year, Ramaphosa appointed the former politician and anti-apartheid activist as the Electoral Commissioner.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs recommended Love to the National Assembly to fill a vacancy at the IEC in September. The National Assembly approved the recommendation.

She was one of 12 candidates who were vying for the position, having served as the Vice Chairperson of the IEC since 2018.

Last year, there was controversy in the Democratic Republic of Congo in which four opposition political parties there called for her withdrawal after she was accused of having “helped legitimise the fraudulent fabrication of an electoral register”.

Four Congolese opposition candidates called for Love’s withdrawal from the audit of last year’s voter registration in that country.

The IEC denied allegations of interference and involving itself in the politics at play but said this was intended to achieve its mandate of a free and fair electoral process.

The IEC said: “The Commission believes there is substantial public interest in providing certainty on the proper interpretation of Section 47(1) (e) and its interplay with the powers of the Commission to adjudicate objections to candidates.

“Such clarity is important in the present matter because of a live issue but also for future elections. It is important that such clarity is obtained from the highest court in the land which has constitutional matter jurisdiction. Hence, a direct appeal to the Constitutional Court.”

Professor of African and Elections Politics at Unisa, Kealeboga Maphunye, said that both the IEC and MKP were well within their rights to fight the matter through the courts as this was in the interests of democracy and their rights as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.