Wednesday’s by-elections postponed as ‘free and fair’ elections cannot be ensured says IEC
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By-elections scheduled for Wednesday in eight wards across South Africa have been postponed as “free and fair” elections cannot be ensured due to the country entering an adjusted level 4 lockdown. Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)
DURBAN - By-elections scheduled for Wednesday in eight wards across South Africa have been postponed as “free and fair” elections cannot be ensured due to the country entering an adjusted level 4 lockdown.
Following a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, president Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that South Africa would enter 14 days of level 4 lockdown, from Monday, June 28.
On Monday night, the Electoral Commission of South Africa chief executive officer, Sy Mamabolo, confirmed that the IEC had requested the Electoral Court to postpone the by-elections scheduled for Wednesday, June 30.
“The view of the commission is that given the alert level 4 regulations, the prospect of a free and fair election in the affected wards is vitiated. Members of the public in the affected wards will be notified as to when the by-elections will be conducted.
“We therefore urge all our electoral stakeholders to bear with us given the circumstances, which have been occasioned by Covid-19, and the new regulations,” he said.
Wednesday’s by-elections were the final by-elections scheduled to be conducted before the cessation of by-elections ahead of the local government elections scheduled for October this year.
On Monday, the IEC said safety measures under level 4 included a ban on all gatherings, including political gatherings but excluding funerals.
The by-elections were to have taken place in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu–Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape across 48 voting stations and involving 71 305 registered voters.
They were to have been contested by 40 candidates from 14 political parties, and three independent candidates.
The eight affected by-elections are as follows:
- Ward 03 in the Makana Municipality – EC104
- Ward 98 in the eThekwini Municipality – ETH
- Ward 05 in the eDumbe Municipality – KZN261
- Ward 01 in the Sol Plaatje Municipality – NC091
- Ward 51 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
- Ward 63 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
- Ward 01 in the Cederberg Municipality –WC012
- Ward 02 in the Swartland Municipality –WC015
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