The Independent Electoral Commission has dismissed the ANC’s high court and Electoral court challenges against uMkhonto weSizwe and slammed former President Jacob Zuma who leads the newly formed party for suggesting the elections could be rigged.
The IEC briefed the media at its offices in Centurion on Wednesday and said it satisfied itself that it subjected MK to thorough scrutiny before approving its registration as a party.
IEC Deputy Chairperson Janet Love said the ANC failed to object when MK published its intentions to be registered as a political party in the government gazette.
“A party that wants to register must publish certain information in government gazette and within two weeks anybody has the opportunity to object and those objection are taken into consideration but if there are no objection the commission has to apply its mind as to whether the name, the logo, the abbreviation, or anything rmreally similar to those three and some administrative staff,” she said.
” That is what’s before the courts and the commission is of a view that there was full compliance and the appeal does not have standing,” said Love before turning on Zuma whom she said was inciteful in his allegations that the upcoming elections could be rigged in favour of the ANC.
“The commission has received absolutely no evidence of bias and rejects this kind of talk that attempts to inject into a country, almost an insurrectionist mood, it is unacceptable,it’s undemocratic and we encourage every cantestant whether it be a person who comes a from a political party or a person who is an independent candidate to recognize that part of being a candidate is to join, accept responsible for making these elections a success and that it is entirely irresponsible as a citizen, to try and undermine the process rather than enable it, she said.
Ironically, Commissioner Love was a prominent member of the ANC having served in roles including as a member of parliament and enlisted in the original uMkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the liberation movement that was disbanded in the 90s ahead of the democratic breakthrough.