By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says members of a new party backed by his predecessor Jacob Zuma who have threatened unrest if it is excluded from May 29 elections will be arrested.
Ramaphosa was speaking to the media on the sidelines of his visit to Mpumalanga during the Presidential Imbizo.
Members of the uMkhonto weSizwe party, have said there will be “civil war” if its candidates are’t allowed to stand. And Visvin Reddy, a party official, warned in the eastern city of Durban on Wednesday that no one would be allowed to vote if the party didn’t appear on the ballot papers.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has warned the MK party against threats of violence.
IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said, “the commission doesn’t appreciate the use of violent language”. and added that it wanted to alert all political parties to the provisions of the electoral code of conduct, which were now applicable since the date of the elections was proclaimed.
The ANC is involved in a legal battle with the MK party over the name and logo.
Ramaphosa said on Thursday the law will take its course if people perpetrated violence in the elections.
He said they have been hearing these threats to destabilise the country, but law enforcement agencies are following up on those making threats, and arrests will follow.
“Those are people who are the enemies of our democracy.The people of South Africa value this hard won democracy and they don’t want any form of instability and we have always followed the rule of law. When you are dissatisfied with any decision, be it a government decision, the president’s decision, a minister’s decision even a court’s decision, there are ways in which all those complaints can be followed up, Ramaphosa added.
MK Party has until tomorrow to submit the signatures required by the IEC, as well as its candidate lists and deposits to be able to contest the elections.Another hurdle to overcome is the impending judgment on the case that the ANC has brought against it on the use of MK as its own trademark.
In response to Reddy’s outbursts, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) KZN premier candidate, Chris Pappas, called Reddy a political opportunist, ActionSA leader in the province, Zwakele Mncwango, labelled his outburst as “nonsense”, while ANC member of the legislature in the province, Bishop Vusi Dube, also lashed out at Reddy, saying he should be arrested and charged with treason.