The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has been urged to take action against loan sharks who withhold people’s identity documents, potentially preventing them from voting on election day.
Kim Medupi, a permanent delegate to the National Council of Provinces representing the North West, raised the concern during a visit to the IEC’s headquarters in Centurion, where a parliamentary delegation assessed the commission’s readiness for the upcoming local government elections.
Medupi identified the North West as one of the provinces where unregistered lenders commonly withhold borrowers’ identity documents.
“Indeed, the issue of our loan sharks, or bo-mashonisa and bo-mochonisa, is a serious concern in our province. From my experience, these lenders used to hold on to the identity documents of community members who borrowed money from them. I can say that the practice is widespread and remains a serious concern.
“This is particularly worrying because the majority of our people do not earn much. Some work on farms, while others rely on small-scale activities to make a living,” Medupi said.
The IEC indicated that it currently lacked the authority to intervene in private lending arrangements but acknowledged the concern.
Medupi warned that, unless action was taken, many people could be prevented from exercising their right to vote.
“Once they hand over their identity documents to bo-mashonisa, they may be unable to repay their loans when election time comes. They are then afraid to ask for their documents back because the lenders use them as security.
“Having engaged with the IEC today, I believe this is an issue we must take very seriously. The IEC must make its position clear and send a strong message that these lenders must release people’s identity documents so that our communities can exercise their right to vote,” she said.