FF Plus is opposed to re-opening registration process for local government elections for the sake of the ANC

27 August 2021

The FF Plus is strongly opposed to the ANC's efforts to have the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) candidate nomination process for the upcoming local government elections re-opened simply because the ANC failed to submit its candidate lists for the elections to the IEC on time.

The FF Plus as well as all the other parties were able to submit their candidate lists on time, so there is no excuse for why the ANC failed do so.

If the Electoral Court were to grant the ANC's request, it would be seriously unfair to the other parties that did meet the deadline. There have been cases in previous elections, including local government elections, where parties and candidates were disqualified because they did not meet the specified deadlines.

Therefore, if the Electoral Court were to grant the ANC's application, it would constitute improper favouritism.

One example is the case of the National Freedom Party (NFP) that was late in paying its deposits to participate in the 2016 local government elections and was, consequently, disqualified from participation based on those grounds. At the time, the party also approached the Electoral Court, but its application to pay its deposits after the deadline was denied.

The fact that the ANC failed to pay its employees' salaries for the past three months is one of the main reasons why the ANC was unable to compile and finalise its lists and submit them on time.

The ANC's incompetent handling of matters seems to have become the norm on all levels of government.

It is extremely ironic that a party that is too incompetent to complete its nomination lists on time expects the public to vote for it so as to keep it in power.

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 29 August 2021