The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has disqualified the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from participating in the upcoming by-election in Dikgatlong Municipality in the Northern Cape.
The electoral commission says the party failed to meet the deadline to pay a deposit to participate in the by-election.
A ward six vacancy follows the death of an African National Congress (ANC) councillor.
The crucial by-election will be on February 8.
The ANC governs the municipality by a slim majority of 50.79%.
Losing the by-election would force the municipality into coalition governance.
Provincial IEC Chairperson Bonolo Modise says: “The EFF had shown its intention to participate in the upcoming by-election in Dikgatlong but one of the requirements to be fulfilled to participate is to pay a deposit. According to the by-elections timetable, the date for the deposit for the payment was the 19th of Decembee [2022]; obviously the EFF did not meet the date. It is for that reason that their candidate who they had intended to field for this by-election was disqualified because they failed to meet the deadline to pay the deposit.”
