The Electoral Court today granted an urgent request by the Electoral Commission to postpone the by-election in ward 18 of the Moretele Municipality (NW371) in North West province by 90 days.
The by-election was originally scheduled for 5 April 2017 but was postponed by a week by the Electoral Commission to allow for the identification and removal of voters who were incorrectly registered in the ward. This followed objections to the voters’ roll by political parties.
In seeking to assess and address all objections, the Electoral Commission agreed with the three political parties registered for the by-election that a further postponement was necessary – which would take it outside of the Constitutionally-imposed 90 day limit within which a by-election must be held after a vacancy is declared.
The Electoral Commission therefore approached the Electoral Court to condone the holding of the by-election outside of the 90 day window. The court granted the application to postpone the by-election by 90 days from 12 April.
The Electoral Commission will confirm the date of the by-election in due course.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections
Centurion
For media queries: Please contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386
For media interviews: Please email requests to [email protected]