If there is proof, according to the IEC, that a recount of votes is necessary, it will order one in particular locations.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya told the reporters at the ROC that the Commission will make sure it addresses any issue brought forward by candidates during its objections procedure, which has been prolonged until six o’clock this evening.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Rise Mzansi, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, and the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) are among the parties that have voiced their opposition.
According to the electoral legislation, this kind of extension is allowed by requesting a pardon for objections filed after the deadline. In this instance, participants could file objections up until Friday at 9 p.m.
According to IEC Chair Mosotho Moepya, the Commission’s methodology is not unduly technical.
“The Commission does not prioritize form over substance in this procedure. We won’t be overly technical. We will examine the matters presented to us and weigh them in the context of ensuring the credibility of these elections.
If the Commission determines through the results process that there is a materiality, it will order the appropriate remedy, which in certain cases can involve a special recount.
MK party, meanwhile, declares it would not accept the results of the election without a recount.
Written by Paddy Harper
594×594 at Gettyimages 2155204492
On May 29, 2024, in Nkandla, rural KwaZulu-Natal, supporters of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party congregate outside the Ntolwane Primary School voting station. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Per-Anders Pettersson)
In order to prevent itself from winning an absolute majority in KwaZulu-Natal, the Umkhonto we Sizwe party is demanding a recount of the votes cast in the elections held on Wednesday.
In addition, the party demands a nationwide and Western Cape recount and has threatened to reject the results of the polls if the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) does not allay its fears.
This is the case even though several observer teams that were present during the voting process expressed their satisfaction with the free and fair conduct of the elections.
After 97% of the votes were counted, the party was at 14.82% nationally and 45.9% in KwaZulu-Natal. On Friday night, hours after the time for objections had passed, the party summoned a media briefing to declare that it would not accept the results until a recount was conducted.
Although the MK Party is now predicted to be the largest in the province, unseating the ANC, it falls short of obtaining the necessary 50% plus one of the vote to govern KwaZulu-Natal on its own.
Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the party’s national spokeswoman, said that the IEC had received “a number of concerns” from them regarding “serious transgressions” during the counting procedure.
Ndhlela claimed that despite bringing up the problems with the IEC, they had not gotten a “satisfactory response” to their complaints.
According to Ndhlela, the slips that the presiding officers had assembled “were not in line with what is presented and recorded by party agents.”
“There are basic problems with their procedures and behavior. There are numerous differences, which we shall examine in more detail,” he stated. We’re not happy.
Ndhlela stated that although the party was raising the matter in public to bring attention to the counting procedure, it was also thinking about filing a case with the Electoral Court.
It’s critical to bring this up right now. We cannot allow the MK party to be connected to anything that stems from the extremely unstable scenario we find ourselves in,” Ndhlela stated.
We are calling on members to abstain from all aggressive behavior. We are voicing these concerns and asking for a recount, but we will still engage in nonviolent protest.
Ndhlela’s remarks had not received a response from the IEC as of the time of writing.
He said that Jacob Zuma, the head of the MK Party, was aware of the decision to contest the results and demand a recount.
A number of smaller parties have written to the IEC in the Western Cape, where the Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured a majority with 53% of the vote, asking for a manual recount of the province’s ballots.
The IEC reported that by the time the objection period ended on Friday at 9 p.m., 36 objections had been filed with it.
Mmusi Maimane, the head of Build One South Africa, informed the media on Saturday at the ROC that his party will not be contesting the election results.
According to Maimane, the parties needed to deal with the establishment of governments and get to work immediately.
According to Brett Heron of the Good Party, there were differences between the figures at the polling places and those that the IEC ultimately displayed, thus the party requested permission to file a late objection.
