IEC must get MK to show its evidence for vote-rigging claim, says analyst

For the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to clear any doubts concerning the May 29 election results, it should continue to fight to have the MK party’s vote-rigging case heard by the Electoral Court despite the party withdrawing from the legal rodeo. 

This was the sentiment of Unisa political analyst Prof Dirk Kotze after MK party leader Jacob Zuma recently claimed it had evidence “as huge as an elephant” to back its allegation that millions of votes were fraudulently handled.   

“One of the things that makes us say we are withdrawing the case is because the evidence we have received is as huge as an elephant. The lawyers need more time to write everything down,” Zuma told party supporters on Sunday.   

In the past Zuma has been known to make claims he failed to support. Last week the party issued a notice of withdrawal to the court in its application against the IEC.

Kotze says the vote-rigging case was vital to clear any doubts about the election results. “The bottom line is if [the MK party] have evidence, they must produce it. They withdrew the case. This means they do not have sufficient evidence to convince the court to order a rerun of the elections,” he said.

The party has continued to claim it was robbed of votes despite taking seats in parliament and in provincial legislatures.

“There was never a case because they have never presented evidence that even they believe would be sufficient to stand in court. They have conceded that. If there is such convincing evidence, they should have waited for it before starting with the case.

“They started with the case and created suspicion about the IEC. Letting it hang in the air creates a sense of uncertainty and a negative reflection of the IEC. That is why the IEC should force the MK party to have the court case heard so it can be dealt with and have an outcome,” Kotze said. 

Zuma has vowed to continue to challenge the election results, saying the withdrawal was temporary.

The MK party has repeatedly attacked the IEC and its commissioner, Janet Love. The MK party took the IEC to court and lost after the commission barred Zuma from its list of candidates destined for parliament owing to his criminal conviction.

In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court. The constitution prohibits anyone sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine from becoming an MP.

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