Independents demand respect from the IEC

Independent candidates yesterday put their foot down, demanding that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) should treat them equally with the political parties and display their pictures as it does with leaders of political parties.

The IEC also addressed the fears expressed by some parties and candidates about the names of 18 candidates from eight political parties which appeared in regional candidate lists.

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IEC deputy chief electoral officer: outreach Mawethu Mosery said this would be corrected next week so there would be no candidate whose name appeared in more than one list.

Among the 18 candidates whose names appeared on different lists were Marius Fransman, leader of the People’s Movement for Change and fellow party member, Dan Plato.

The party, which operated as an issue-focused social movement, would contest the elections at national level and both in the Western Cape and Northern Cape ballots.

Fransman topped the list in national and Western Cape. He is former ANC Western Cape chair, its former MP and MPL, and former deputy minister of international relations and cooperation.

Plato is former Democratic Alliance Western Cape legislature member and former Cape mayor. On the exclusion of pictures for independents, national independent candidate Anele Mda demanded that the IEC should account for its failure to include her picture on the display during the event, despite the fact that she submitted it timeously to the IEC at its request.

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The IEC’s failure to include all independents’ mugshots caused an outcry from the candidates. Mda, who is contesting on the national ballot from Gauteng, said the picture would enable the electorate to identify the candidate they would be voting for.

“These elections are about the people of South Africa, their aspirations and dignity,” Mda said. IEC commissioner Dr Nomsa Masuku apologised and said the pictures would be included on the ballot paper.

IEC deputy electoral commission: electoral matters Masego Sheburi said the national ballot paper did not require pictures of independents anyway because only political parties contested the national ballot on a proportional representation (PR) basis.

He said the independents were not contesting the PR, but were asked to submit pictures merely for use in the regional ballot papers where they would be contesting.

Mosery said there were six independents contesting at national level and six on the provincial ballots. He declined to name the candidates.