Durban — The new political parties that failed to meet last week’s Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC’s) deadline to submit their candidate lists have pleaded with the electoral body for an extension.
According to the new rules, all new parties wishing to register for and contest the upcoming elections were required to submit 100 000 signatures to prove that they have support and many had not done so by 5pm on Friday last week, which was the deadline. Many cited insufficient time and load shedding.
Themba Buthelezi, the founder of the Gap Fixers of South Africa, told the Daily News on Wednesday that he had written to the electoral body pleading for an extension, even of a day, because they had the signatures ready.
He said the reason for missing the deadline was not because his party lacked signatures, but was because of load shedding and the slow system which took time to upload. He said he hoped the electoral body would reconsider its decision to shut them out and give them a final opportunity.
Buthelezi founded his party along with Sbu Mpisane, the estranged husband of Shauwn Mkhize, the owner of the Premier Soccer League club, Royal AM.
Another party that missed the boat was Afrika Unite Congress, which was founded by former magistrate Lizwi Ncwane along with former eThekwini Parks and Recreation head Thembinkosi Ngcobo.
In November last year, the party looked promising after unveiling former KwaZulu-Natal EFF chairperson Vusi Khoza as a new member who was immediately given the task of an organiser.
Ngcobo, the party’s deputy president, confirmed that Afrika Unite Congress did not meet the electoral requirements, citing the short time to get signatures as the main hurdle for their failure to meet the deadline.
With Ncwane’s close links to the Nazareth Baptist Church, especially the popular Ebuhleni faction under Mduduzi Shembe, and Khoza’s popularity, many thought it was going to be easy to get the required number of signatures and meet the deadline.
After being expelled from the EFF for failing to hire buses to the party’s 10th anniversary last year, Khoza wrote on his social media platform page that his expulsion from Parliament was temporary. He vowed to be sworn in alongside EFF members after the May 29 elections, but now his political career seems to have hit a snag.
Another new party that failed to meet the requirements was the Labour Party founded by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. It threatened to take the IEC to court, citing the short time given to new parties to meet requirements.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela poured cold water on the new parties’ plea, saying the IEC had followed the legal election timetable.
“Anyone who wanted to object should go to court,” she said.
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Daily News