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The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) welcomes the decision by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to adopt the recommendations of the Moseneke Inquiry Report into “Ensuring Free and Fair Local Government Elections During Covid-19”.
 
We further welcome the speed with which the IEC reached this decision, particularly with the Voter Registration Weekend provisionally being scheduled for 31 July and 1 August. We trust this will now be re-scheduled.
 
Earlier this week, when former Deputy Chief Justice, Dikgang Moseneke, tabled his Report, we were in full support of his recommendations to postpone the Local Government Elections, considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent civil unrest.
 
Despite welcoming the decision to postpone the Local Government Elections until February 2022, we believe it might be necessary for Justice Moseneke to reassess the situation in two to three months’ time.
 
The IFP has long called for a postponement until May 2022 - as we believe this will give our population the opportunity to attain herd immunity. We are further willing to support the amendment of the Constitution, so that any postponements deemed necessary for health and safety – as well as to meet the requirements for free and fair elections – can meet constitutional muster.
 
We again remind the IEC of the necessity to give all political parties sufficient opportunity to prepare, and that they provide at least three-months’ notice of the new election date, once pronounced.
 
The IFP reiterates again that health and safety must always come first - our people must never become mere voting fodder.

Issued by IFP