IEC’s actions towards ActionSA tantamount to sabotage: Mashaba

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party will not allow the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to violate its right to participate in an election.

The party is aggrieved after the IEC only put the party’s logo on the ballot papers for the November 1^st Local Government Elections.

Mashaba has confirmed that the Electoral Court has acknowledged his party’s urgent application against the IEC.

ActionSA is asking the court to compel the IEC to review its decision to only have the party’s logo and name of the ward candidate on the ballot paper.

Mashaba says the IEC’s decision is tantamount to sabotage.

“I call it sabotage because this has really been a trend, has been a pattern since the registration of the party and I am unapologetic about it. I don’t really take it as an oversight but a deliberate effort to frustrate us. We are a party of the rule of law and we can’t allow anyone to trample on our rights as Action SA to participate,” says Mashaba.

On Tuesday, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Mawethu Mosery says parties whose names are not on the Local Government Election ballot paper are required to return to the Commission and amend their registration papers by adding their abbreviated name.

ActionSA says it will go to court since its name does not appear on the ballot paper.

The @IECSouthAfrica has failed to meet the deadline to oppose or abide by our application in the Electoral Court.

We will now proceed to the court as normal.

The IEC will have to explain why they did not meet the deadline. #ActionSAvsIEC

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 6, 2021