Staff Reporter
The African National Congress (ANC) has taken legal action against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) by bringing the matter to the Electoral Court, seeking to invalidate the registration of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.
The ANC argues that the registration of the MK party was unlawful due to a “supplemented” application process.
If successful in their review, the ANC’s move could prevent the newly-formed political party, which is endorsed by former ANC President Jacob Zuma, from appearing on the 2024 ballot.
The ANC contends that the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of the Commission failed to comply with the law by considering a “supplemented” application from the MK party and subsequently registering it as a political party on September 7, 2023.
The ANC claims that allowing registration applications to be supplemented has become a growing practice within the Electoral Commission, which requires the urgent intervention of the court to prevent further unlawful conduct and arbitrary decision-making.
The MK party, which has been making headlines recently, is expected to participate in the 2024 general elections amidst a changing political landscape.
The ANC’s review application poses a risk to the MK party’s ambitions of contesting the 2024 elections, should the court rule in favor of the ANC.
In response, the MK party argues that its registration is lawful. It maintains that the ANC’s interpretation of the IEC’s August 2023 letter, which assisted the party in the registration process, as a “rejection” is erroneous. The MK party contends that the letter was merely a means for the Commission to facilitate the registration process and that the ANC’s interpretation seeks to limit the party’s fundamental right to form a political party, potentially violating the constitution.
The MK Youth Interim Leader, Bonginkosi Khanyile, has warned that if the MK party and Jacob Zuma were excluded from the ballot, they were prepared to take drastic action.
“Remove MK from the ballot, remove Zuma from the ballot and there won’t be elections in this country, we are prepared to lay down our lives.”
The general elections are scheduled to take place on May 29, 2024.
