Rival parties are up in arms over claims that the ANC bused scores of eligible voters to register last weekend in wards they did not belong to in Mbhashe.
A joint letter to Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) provincial head Thamsanqa Mraji tells him to investigate or they will go to court.
In a letter dated March 9 COPE, the EFF and UDM in Mbhashe urge the IEC to investigate alleged “non-compliance with statutory obligations”.
Other complaints were:
lPeople were registered while they were not physically present at the registration points, and;
lObjection forms were not available in all Mbhashe voting districts.
The letter to the IEC is co-signed by Mbhashe COPE councillor Nkosinathi Ndlodaka, UDM councillor Mzimkhulu Tetyana and the EFF’s Siyavuya Ketabahle.
They give the IEC until tomorrow to respond, saying failure to do so “will leave us with no option but to approach a court of law”.
Ndlodaka yesterday charged that more than 100 new voters from a voting station at Munyu Primary School in Ward 7 were allowed to register at Zwelakhe Primary in Ward 4, despite objections from various party agents present.
Ndlodaka said the matter was reported to the Mbhashe IEC office, and when nothing was done it was escalated to the provincial office, which has yet to respond.
Ndlodaka charges that in another case, eligible voters were bused from Vulindlela Senior Primary in Govan Mbeki location in Ward 9 to to register at the Dutywa Town Hall in Ward 1. “The presiding officer was informed, but chose to register the voters. Some gave false addresses while others used actual home addresses which showed that they were suppose to have registered at Govan Mbeki,” said Ndlodaka.
Tetyana and Ketabahle yesterday confirmed signing the letter.
According to their correspondence, at Mabheleni Junior Secondary School voting station in Ward 7, identity documents were collected and given to the presiding officer for registration without their owners even setting foot on site.
It further alleges that in Willowvale’s Jongintaba Junior Secondary voting station the presiding officer refused to register voters who were already inside the venue at closing time. The trio said that none of the Mbhashe registration and voting stations had any objection forms at their disposal over the two-day registration period, making it difficult to lodge complaints.
“We cannot shut our eyes to the reality that this will affect the outcome of the upcoming local government elections.
“It is not our intention to wait for the voters’ roll to deal with this matter as we do not want to appear to be people who want to delay the elections. We will wait to hear from the IEC this week, and any form of silence from them will leave us with no option but to approach a court of law,” wrote Ndlodaka.
IEC provincial spokeswoman Pearl Ngoza yesterday confirmed receipt of this complaint, saying Mraji had instituted a preliminary inquiry into the matter and a report would be submitted to their national office once the probe was completed.
“Due to the seriousness of these allegations, the matter is being treated with urgency,” said Ngoza.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and provincial elections coordinator Mlibo Qoboshiyane could not be reached. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Parties cry foul over registration
A joint letter to Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) provincial head Thamsanqa Mraji tells him to investigate or they will go to court.
In a letter dated March 9 COPE, the EFF and UDM in Mbhashe urge the IEC to investigate alleged “non-compliance with statutory obligations”.
Other complaints were:
lPeople were registered while they were not physically present at the registration points, and;
lObjection forms were not available in all Mbhashe voting districts.
The letter to the IEC is co-signed by Mbhashe COPE councillor Nkosinathi Ndlodaka, UDM councillor Mzimkhulu Tetyana and the EFF’s Siyavuya Ketabahle.
They give the IEC until tomorrow to respond, saying failure to do so “will leave us with no option but to approach a court of law”.
Ndlodaka yesterday charged that more than 100 new voters from a voting station at Munyu Primary School in Ward 7 were allowed to register at Zwelakhe Primary in Ward 4, despite objections from various party agents present.
Ndlodaka said the matter was reported to the Mbhashe IEC office, and when nothing was done it was escalated to the provincial office, which has yet to respond.
Ndlodaka charges that in another case, eligible voters were bused from Vulindlela Senior Primary in Govan Mbeki location in Ward 9 to to register at the Dutywa Town Hall in Ward 1. “The presiding officer was informed, but chose to register the voters. Some gave false addresses while others used actual home addresses which showed that they were suppose to have registered at Govan Mbeki,” said Ndlodaka.
Tetyana and Ketabahle yesterday confirmed signing the letter.
According to their correspondence, at Mabheleni Junior Secondary School voting station in Ward 7, identity documents were collected and given to the presiding officer for registration without their owners even setting foot on site.
It further alleges that in Willowvale’s Jongintaba Junior Secondary voting station the presiding officer refused to register voters who were already inside the venue at closing time. The trio said that none of the Mbhashe registration and voting stations had any objection forms at their disposal over the two-day registration period, making it difficult to lodge complaints.
“We cannot shut our eyes to the reality that this will affect the outcome of the upcoming local government elections.
“It is not our intention to wait for the voters’ roll to deal with this matter as we do not want to appear to be people who want to delay the elections. We will wait to hear from the IEC this week, and any form of silence from them will leave us with no option but to approach a court of law,” wrote Ndlodaka.
IEC provincial spokeswoman Pearl Ngoza yesterday confirmed receipt of this complaint, saying Mraji had instituted a preliminary inquiry into the matter and a report would be submitted to their national office once the probe was completed.
“Due to the seriousness of these allegations, the matter is being treated with urgency,” said Ngoza.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane and provincial elections coordinator Mlibo Qoboshiyane could not be reached. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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