DA exposes irregularities with by-election voters roll in ward 16 Merafong

7 March 2023

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Merafong has become aware of possible fraudulent activities related to registering voters ahead of the by-election taking place in Carletonville on 5 April. We have already objected to the voters roll, we had a meeting with the MEO, and we took him through our submission, we have also received a reply from the IEC that they have received our objection.

During the registration weekend, we observed at both voting stations that people were being bussed in from outside of ward 16 to register to vote in the by-election. We have also been approached by residents who are aware that both the ANC and the EFF were registering residents from outside the ward.

Our inspection of the voters roll revealed hundreds of suspect entries where the same addresses were being used as much as 20 times. It is unlikely that so many instances of multiple, seemingly unrelated residents share the same addresses all over ward 16.

Residents who have been approached to register in a ward where they are not residing should be aware that they will be held to account in their personal capacity if found guilty of electoral fraud.

This type of behaviour by political parties goes against the Electoral Code of Conduct, which all parties have signed. It also calls into question whether this by-election is free and fair as residents of Ward 16 may well end up with a candidate they did not vote for.

We notified the IEC of the suspicious behaviour during the registration weekend, and they promised to do an investigation. However, when the voters roll was released for inspection, we noticed that anomalies had not been addressed.

The DA will take all the necessary steps to ensure that the actual residents of ward 16 can vote on 5 April for a candidate of their choice who will truly serve the community.

Issued by Ina Cilliers, DA Constituency Head- Merafong, 7 March 2023