The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has urged the police to expedite their investigation into reports that Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto Wesizwe MK Party (MKP) allegedly forged signatures during the candidate nomination process.
The commission has acknowledged media inquiries and reports suggesting that the party submitted fraudulent signatures to meet the requirements for candidate nominations. As a result, a criminal complaint has been filed with the police.
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The commission emphasized the importance of a swift investigation to ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections. In a statement released on Monday, the commission stated, “An expeditious investigation is essential for the conduct of free and fair elections.”
The commission confirmed that the signature portal of the candidate nomination system verified the identity numbers submitted to determine if they belonged to registered citizens of the republic. However, it also noted that it would be impossible to establish whether the signatures were genuine.
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According to a report by City Press, the MKP has been accused of extensively forging signatures in order to qualify for the upcoming national elections. The allegations were made by a former senior official of the party in a statement submitted to the Western Cape police.
Lennox Ntsodo, the former official, claimed that in February, he appointed a team of approximately 20 people to assist with the mass forgery of signatures after the IEC rejected the MKP’s initial application for registration.
Ntsodo alleged that the team fraudulently obtained names, identity numbers, and cellphone numbers of jobseekers from a database of the Cape Metro Council. They also acquired personal details of members of a funeral association.
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The legislation requires political parties to submit at least 15,000 signatures of members and supporters to register for this year’s elections and appear on the national ballot.
During a liaison committee meeting with political parties, the IEC acknowledged that it did not have a signature database and therefore could not verify whether the signatures on supporter lists belonged to actual voters. The commission relies on the “good faith” of political parties unless there are obvious errors or discrepancies.
Meanwhile, the IEC has reminded voters that the deadline for applications for special votes in this year’s national and provincial elections is May 3. Special votes are intended for those voters who are unable to travel to voting stations. Home visits and voting station visits are both options for special voting. The special voting will take place on May 27 and 28, from 9 am to 5 pm.
Voters can apply for special votes by using the secured online application at www.elections.org.za, sending an SMS with their identity number to 32249 (for voting station visits only), visiting their local IEC office and submitting an Appendix 1B form for a voting station special vote, or visiting their local IEC office and submitting an Appendix 1A form for a home visit special vote. The commission also clarified that someone else can deliver a form on behalf of a voter.
The IEC also addressed a widely circulated message claiming that everyone over the age of 60 has been granted permission to cast a special vote on May 27 and 28 at the polling station where they are registered.
The commission clarified that this message did not originate from them and reiterated the principle that voters must vote where they are registered. However, voters who intend to be in a different voting district on voting day must notify the commission of their intended absence and specify the voting station where they wish to cast their vote. Notifications in this regard will close on May 17.
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