The Electoral Commission will urgently approach the Electoral Court to postpone eight by-elections scheduled for Wednesday 30 June 2021 following the implementation of level 4 lockdown restrictions.
The Electoral Commission took the decision to seek the court’s approval to postpone the by-elections at an emergency meeting today after the announcement last night by President Cyril Ramaphosa of additional measures to help curb the third wave currently gripping the country.
These measures included raising the lockdown restrictions to level 4 which includes a ban on all gatherings (except for funerals) including political gatherings.
Wednesday’s by-elections were the final by-elections scheduled to be conducted prior to the cessation of by-elections ahead of the Local Government Elections scheduled for October this year.
They were to have taken place in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu–Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape across 48 voting stations and involving 71 305 registered voters. They were to have been contested by forty (40) candidates from fourteen (14) political parties, and three (3) independent candidates.
The eight affected by-elections are as follows:
• Eastern Cape:
o Ward 03 in the Makana Municipality – EC104
• KwaZulu-Natal:
o Ward 98 in the eThekwini Municipality – ETH
o Ward 05 in the eDumbe Municipality – KZN261
• Northern Cape:
o Ward 01 in the Sol Plaatje Municipality – NC091
• Western Cape:
o Ward 51 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
o Ward 63 in the City of Cape Town Municipality – CPT
o Ward 01 in the Cederberg Municipality –WC012
o Ward 02 in the Swartland Municipality –WC015
Between March 2020 and March 2021 the Electoral Commission approached the Electoral Court to postpone over 100 by-elections during the first and second waves of the pandemic. These by-elections were safely conducted during lulls in the pandemic when restrictions were at level 1 during November and December 2020 and again during March, April and May 2021.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections
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