Johannesburg,South Africa

The Independent Electoral Commission(IEC) has confirmed that has decided to approach the Constitutional Court to challenge the decision of the Electoral Court which favoured Jacob Zuma to be a part of upcoming elections for MK Party.

Through its statement the IEC has tried to explain in detail why has chosen to lodge an urgent and direct appeal to the Constitutional Court.

The statement said the Commission believes there is substantial public interest in providing certainty on the proper interpretation of section 47(1)(e) and its interplay with the powers of the Commission to adjudicate objections to candidates.Such clarity is important in the present matter because of a live issue but also for future elections.It is furthermore important that such legal clarification is obtained from the highest court in the land which has constitutional-matter jurisdiction.Hence,a direct appeal to the Constitutional Court.

The IEC has maintained that its decision has nothing to do with politics however all it wants is the clarity and proper guidance to ensure that elections are free and fair.

The IEC said that the Commission wishes to emphasise that this appeal is not intended to involve itself in the political field of play,it is rather to ensure free and fair elections by ensuring that applicable constitutional provisions relating to elections are clearly understood by all role-players and applied evenly.We therefore wish for the matter to be determined before the date of the election.

Following the Electoral Court judgement pertaining Jacob Zuma the IEC released a statement which shown that were not satisfied with the court orders and made it clear that were going to seek legal advice.

"The Electoral Commission has today received two orders from the Electoral Court.We have taken note of the contents of both orders.Furthermore,we have noted that the orders were issued without reasoned judgement.In order to understand the basis of the conclusions reach in both matters,it is important that reasons are provided.We will accordingly request the Electoral Court to hand down reasons for the orders made.

The first order relates to the candidacy of the erstwhile President Mr Jacob Zuma whilst the second relates to the interpretation of the word consulate to include honorary consulate as provided in section 33(3) of the Electoral Act,"said Independent Electoral Commission on Wednesday,9 April 2024.

MK Party demands resignation of IEC Commissioner

On Friday,Umkhonto Wesizwe(MK Party) has called an immediate resignation of Janet Love who is Chairperson of Independent Electoral Commission follows the decision of the Commission which aims to block Jacob Zuma's political aspirations.

The MK Party has revealed that Janet Love is a loyal member of the ruling party and also close friend of the current President of the ANC and the Republic so that they her gone from her position.

"As MK Party,we were prepared to give Ms Love,who has been a loyal serving member of the ANC and close confidante of the President Ramaphosa the benefit of the doubt.But in light of the above,we have now come to the conclusions that Janet Love is highly vested in the outcomes of the upcoming elections and cannot be trusted to oversee nor be involved in these elections,"said MK Party statement.

The MK Party has maintained that all it wants is the free and fair elections and promised even to approach courts to force Ms Love to resign as the IEC Chairperson.

"Our commitment to free,fair,and credible elections is unwavering,and we will take all necessary steps to ensure that South Africa's electoral body remain independent and unbiased.

Should Janet Love fail to resign in the next 7 days,the MK Party reserves the right to pursue all available avenues to address this issue,including approaching our courts," concludes uMkhonto Wesizwe Party.