Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
Last Thursday, February 4, 1999, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki met the leader of the National Party, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk at the request of the latter. At this meeting Mr van Schalkwyk reported that the Judge President of the Cape High Court had suggested that the NP should try to settle the matter they had brought to court through negotations.
It was for this reason that Mr van Schalkwyk sought a meeting with the Deputy President.
At this meeting, Mr van Schalkwyk asked that the Government should agree that all ID's be allowed for the forthcoming elections. The Deputy President explained to Mr van Schalkwyk that the Government was convinced that nobody would be disenfranchised through the failure of the Government to provide any citizen with the necessary documents.
He requested Mr van Schalkwyk to convey to Government any information he might have of people who had failed to get identity documents because of a failure on the part of Home Affairs.
The Deputy President undertook that, in such circumstances, exceptional measures would be undertaken to ensure that any capacity deficiency at Home Affairs was addressed.
He further informed Mr van Schalkwyk of the government's support of the position originally advanced by the IEC that only the green bar-coded ID should be used, to protect the Voters' Roll from fraud and therefore enhance the integrity of the electoral process as a whole.
We are therefore surprised at reports that the NP is awaiting a further meeting with the Government. We expect the NP, if it has serious proposals, to make these known to Government, and not to campaign through the media.
It is in the Government's interest and that of the country, as a whole, that elections are held in an environment free of litigation.
09 February 1999
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)