“May the elections not turn into tears”- Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma warns

Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma urged the public to adhere to coronavirus regulations during the upcoming elections to avoid the elections “turning into tears” leaving several people infected.

Only a day after the DA launched an application to the Constitutional Court opposing the reopening of candidate registration, during a media briefing on Wednesday, Dlamini-Zuma announced that the elections would be held on November 1.

“We need to still exercise caution and observe protocols and regulations during the elections so that the elections may not turn into tears leaving many people infected,” she said.

“These elections are taking place under unusual conditions, as we are facing a global pandemic. I want to urge everyone to still exercise caution and observe protocols and regulations as we go to register, campaign and vote.”

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She said it was left to either President Cyril Ramaphosa or home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi to announce the election day as a public holiday.

“We could have chosen the originally proclaimed day of October 27, but we have chosen the most outer date as the IEC indicated that it will need as much time as possible to prepare for the elections,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

While the date of the upcoming elections has been set, the Constitutional Court faces the responsibility of resolving yet another election debacle – that of the reopening of the candidate registration.

Last week Tuesday, DA national party committee member Webner Horn launched an application to ask the court to set aside the decision made by the Independent Electoral Commission to reopen the registration of candidates set to contest in the local municipal elections.

“The DA asks for a simple order: declaring that the commission’s decision on September 6 to reopen the candidate nomination process is unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid and setting it aside,” the affidavit filed by the party read.

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In the urgent application, the party proposed that the matter be heard before September 20.

“The application is urgent because the elections will take place between October 21 and November 1,” papers read.

“But long before that, there needs to be certainty on who the candidates are. That is vital to allow candidates and parties to campaign, voters to decide who to support, and for the commission to prepare millions of ballots.”

Horner said that the reason they launched the application to the Constitutional Court was that the decision taken by the commission was based on the judgement given earlier this month dismissing the application for election postponement.

He said the commission was exceeding the mandate given by the court to reopen the voters’ roll.

“It has sought to use the necessary reopening of the voters’ roll to justify allowing parties who failed to comply with an electoral deadline, a lifeline.

“There is no justification of that in the order. In truth, it would undermine free and fair elections to allow the commission’s decision to stand.”

Horn said in the statement they were not accusing the commission of being biased, however, raising that the decision “it inevitably taints the perception of the IEC.”

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