IEC bows to pressure, postpones voters’ roll inspection
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has bowed to pressure and changed the voters’ roll inspection day after the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) wrote a letter demanding the cancelation on the basis that the voters’ roll was incomplete.
IEC Secretary Jeff Siamisang stated that the Commission has decided to substitute the original dates for the inspection of the general roll with new inspection dates. He indicated that the original dates were from the 22nd April to the 2nd of June 2024. The new dates are from 10th May to the 20th June 2024.
“This decision is in line with the Commission’s endeavour to open itself up for further transparency and provide the more than 764 000 validly registered voters in the roll, with more time to effectively inspect and assist in cleaning it up. It is also based on the Commission’s sensitivity to the interest of its stakeholders,” he said.
The call by the UDC comes after some errors were identified in the voters’ roll for the first registration that happened in January. The Chairman of UDC’s Madibelatlhopho, Michael Keakopa told the media that they have since written to the IEC arguing that the voters’ roll is already a mess and time is running out to inspect it.
“In short there has never been an inspection of the roll. The 42 days stipulated in the Electoral Act has not and will not be utilised. As we speak the alleged corrected roll has come back with the same mistakes we picked in the last one.
“So the IEC in its May 8 letter was not telling the truth that the mistakes have been rectified. This is a clear indication that the IEC is sabotaging the entire electoral process,” Keakopa stated. He said their conclusion is that there is data manipulation that is taking place.
'As we speak the voters’ roll is fraudulent, it is messed up and this shows that no credible product will ever come out of IEC during this year’s national polls,' Keakopa said.
He contended that what is happening is denying people access to the proper voters’ roll. He said the inspection period will elapse with the correct roll not in place. He argued that the IEC would not have lost anything if they took their time to rectify the mistakes and release a proper product.
He told the media that some of the encounters they had with the IEC have been shared with the SADC Observer Mission in their recent engagement with stakeholders during the pre-election fact finding mission.