Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Chief Executive Sy Mamabolo says there is nothing untoward about their meeting with US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety.
An image of IEC executives meeting with the US Embassy caused an uproar on social media. Some questioned the authenticity of the upcoming elections and circulated unfounded conspiracy theories.
IEC ON ITS MEETING WITH US AMBASSADOR
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Sunday, 5 May, Mamabolo said there was absolutely nothing untoward about the meeting.
Mamabolo said the IEC meets with various stakeholders including the diplomatic community.
“We’ve seen the EU group of ambassadors to give them our state of readiness to sell the country, to sell our electoral democratic system. We’ve met with the Carribean group of ambassadors as well as the Asian for the same of purpose. We are meeting on Wednesday with the African grouping of ambassadors for the same purpose.
Furthermore, Mamabolo said this is not happening for the first time in this election. In fact Dirco Minister Naledi Pandor is set to meet with all heads of missions in the country so that they can receive a similar briefing.
“There is really nothing untoward about the meeting. We are not asking for money, not asking for technical assistance. We’re not asking for anything, we’re just saying please know this is where we are, this is what we’ve done and this is what remains to be done. It’s processes that we do from one election to the next,” Mamabolo added.
Earlier this year, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on the US to oversee the National and Provincial Elections.
In a letter, the DA which is the official oppositon in the country called on countries in the west not only to throw resources to observe the upcoming elections, but to consider setting up parallel voting tabular processes.
The DA was criticised by several political parties and civil society organisations for not having faith in the IEC and the country’s sovereignty.
‘COMMISSION COULD WIN ITS CASE IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT’
In addition, Mamabolo also touched on the Commission’s case against MK Party leader Jacob Zuma that the Constitutional Court is set to decide on.
The IEC lodged an urgent appeal to the Constitutional Court against the Electoral Court’s decision to set aside its decision (to disqualify Zuma from contesting the upcoming elections as the presidential candidate of the MK Party) following the appeal by the party.
In the interview, Mamabolo insisted the Commission wouldn’t have taken this course of action if it did not believe there were no reasonable prospects of success.
“We believe in the correctness of the case we took to the Concourt. We believe that it is important that every South African be placed in a position of knowledge of what section 47 (1)(e) actually means in the context of a sentence emitted out by the Constitutional Court.
“Whichever way the Constitutional Court calls it, the Commission will abide by it. We’ll receive the clarity that we need for everybody for this election and also for future elections,” Mamabolo said.
