George by-election: GOOD taking legal advice following the Electoral Court ruling

19 July 2023

The GOOD party respects the independence of the judiciary as a cornerstone of our democracy.

Sometimes however the judiciary gets it wrong.

The Electoral Court’s dismissal of GOOD’s application to postpone by-elections taking place in George today is such an instance.

The court was presented with prima facie evidence of voter registration fraud conducted by the DA. The evidence included affidavits by the perpetrators of the fraud, confessions that they had falsely registered voters in by-election wards, and the ID numbers, names and real home addresses of fraudulent registered voters.

The full extent of the fraud has not fully been explored.

To permit the by-elections to proceed in such circumstances is unacceptable in a country where corruption is rife. It sends out a message that fraud is acceptable.

There is no point appealing the Electoral Court judgement as the by-elections will have taken place long before an appeal can be enrolled.

GOOD will not let the matter rest. Regardless of the outcomes of the by-elections it will take further steps to compel the IEC to sanitise the voter’s roll.

Should the IEC decline to undertake this vital task voluntarily, it will be back to the Electoral Court we go.

With the country already on an election footing ahead of next year’s general elections, the integrity of the IEC’s systems is of critical national importance.

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Parliament, 19 July 2023