FF Plus welcomes Constitutional Court’s ruling on government elections

3 September 2021

The FF Plus welcomes the Constitutional Court's ruling that the local government elections must go ahead as determined by the relevant Constitutional provisions. The deadline is 1 November 2021.

The ruling is a victory for constitutional democracy in the country. If the elections had been postponed, it would have set a dangerous precedent.

The fact that the Constitutional Court declared the proclamation on the elections by the Minister of Cooperative governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, invalid and set it aside puts immense pressure on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and political parties.

It means that registrations, the voters' roll and candidate nominations will all have to be re-opened, but it is nearly impossible to accomplish that in the short period of time left.

This in itself threatens the integrity of the voters' roll and could create a new crisis if the deadlines are not met before 1 November.

The FF Plus blames the IEC as well as Minister Dlamini-Zuma for allowing themselves to be led around by the nose and following poor advice.

The fact that the elections had already been proclaimed and that the IEC only approached the court afterwards created much uncertainty and as a result, there is a lot of pressure on the relevant authorities.

It is, however, good that voters will have another opportunity to register. The current situation still complicates many of the processes that render elections valid, though.

The FF Plus hopes to see a physical voter registration weekend held as soon as possible.

It would be unacceptable if voters are only afforded the opportunity to register electronically as it would undermine a free and fair election.

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 3 September 2021