EFF calls to delay elections demonstrates threat of future ANC/EFF coalition

14 January 2021 

Today’s call to delay the 2021 local government elections until 2024 by Julius Malema and the EFF, is grossly irresponsible and hypocritical for a man who once labelled Jacob Zuma a constitutional delinquent.

The Constitution of our Republic of South Africa, limits a term of office to 5 years. This provision of our Constitution is the most important safeguard to South Africa’s electoral democracy.

Delaying the 2021 elections would generate a constitutional crisis of municipal governments operating without the mandates they require from South Africans.

Malema and the EFF have no ability to assess what infection levels of Covid-19 will be in 7 to 9 months when the 2021 local government elections are expected to take place, and what threat an election may or may not present to the health and safety of South Africans. 

The question that must be answered, is why the EFF and the Magashule faction of the ANC have joined forces to delay the 2021 local government elections. First, it was argued that there was logic in aligning all levels of election to take place at one time. Now Covid-19 has offered a new pathway to the achieve the same shared objective of the ANC and the EFF to avoid elections which promise large declines for both parties.

It is a dangerous development that the EFF, once the staunchest opponents of the ANC, are now aligning with the Magashule faction of the ANC. Their shared proposal to delay the 2021 local government elections, demonstrate that this alignment will be a threat to the South African Constitution.

I remind the South African government, the ANC and now the EFF, that any move to breach our Constitution and delay this year’s elections, will be challenged in court by ActionSA.

ActionSA calls upon all South Africans to denounce unconstitutional calls by the ANC and EFF that masquerade their concern for the health of South Africans in order to achieve their own political objectives.

Issued by Lerato M-Ngobeni, National Spokesperson of ActionSA, 14 January 2021