By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says in its court papers that the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s bid to nullify the 2024 national and provincial elections lacks evidence that is credible and admissible.
The MK party has refused to accept the outcome of the 29 May national election, claiming vote-rigging. The party obtained 14.6% of the votes, translating to 58 seats in Parliament.
The Commission filed its answering affidavit in the Electoral Court to oppose the application which the IEC contends is founded on what it terms as a “litany of wholly unsupported assertions”.
This comes after the MK Party filed papers earlier this month, seeking an order declaring that the 2024 May elections were not free and fair, and therefore invalid.
The party alleged voter discrepancy of just over nine million votes that it says cannot be accounted for.
In papers, the Electoral Commission of SAs (IEC’s) chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo says, the IEC notes its concern around what it terms as serious and prejudicial allegations made by the MK Party which strike at the integrity of the commission, the 2024 May polls and South Africa’s Constitutional democratic order.
The Commission further submits that the MK Party has not produced any credible and admissible evidence to support these allegations adding that the only inference which can be drawn from this approach is that the allegations were made with the aim of “inflaming the passions of the public”.
The IEC is asking the electoral court to dismiss the application with an appropriate costs order.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has also brought a case calling for the election results to be nullified. The party has highlighted several points, including problems with the voters’ roll, malfunctioning voter management devices (VMDs), alleged mishandling of ballot boxes and the miscapturing of votes.
“Some voters were not on the voters’ roll for the voting districts they have registered at, but were informed their names appear in the voters’ roll elsewhere in another voting district. This disappointed the individual voters, most of which could not vote, very few managed to be transported to the voting districts where it is alleged their names appeared,” said party leader Vuyolwethu Zungula in an affidavit before the Electoral Court.
The party also complained that issues experienced with VMDs on election day affected the outcome of the election.
The malfunction of the VMD has participated [in] voter fraud; it has made it impossible to curb or prevent double voting. The VMD has not been helpful for the purpose for which it was designed for. Again, this has compromised the freeness and fairness of the elections, most importantly the credibility of the commission,” Zungula said.