Former South African president Jacob Zuma has demanded that the official results of the 2024 general elections should not be declared on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday night, Zuma warned that any declaration of the election outcome by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) would be tantamount to “provoking” his new uMkontho weSizwe Party.
The MK Party and at least 20 other opposition parties said they had lodged objections with the IEC over what they claim is vote rigging.
As reported by News24.com, the MK Party also called for a recount and a commission of inquiry into the elections and threatened to take legal action against the IEC.
During a late-night media briefing at the National Results Operation Centre (ROC) in Gallagher Estate, Midrand yesterday, Zuma said the complaints brought to the IEC were “very, very serious”. He said:
There is a tendency in this country to ignore serious matters. Some people get arrested, even if they’ve done nothing, but some people commit serious crimes. Nothing happened to them.
Zuma insisted that the problems should be addressed and that the results announcement should not be “rushed”. He said:
We have a bigger right than anybody else to demand that, it is us who are citizens. Institutions can’t then say, ‘we can’t listen to you and let us rush rush’, because that is provoking people, in reality.
What do you think if the institution that was supposed to deal with everything deprives you of that possibility?
When people stand up and do something, somebody is going to say these people are wild; they must be shot and arrested.
I fully agree with my colleagues who say nobody must force us to say these are the results when the results are incorrect.
If they say so, I think the institution must satisfy us that they did look into the issues.
We are going to need the time. Nobody must declare tomorrow. If that happens, people will be provoked, we know what we are talking about.
I am hoping whoever is responsible is hearing us. Don’t start trouble when there is no trouble.
Adriaan Basson, the News24 editor-in-chief, castigated Zuma for threatening the electoral commission of South Africa. He wrote:
Zuma couldn’t capture the IEC during his nine years as president, but he is now trying to do so as leader of the MK Party.
His threats tonight against the IEC not to declare the election tomorrow before the election has been rerun is a blatant attempt at capturing and undermining and institution of democracy.
Zuma has no business threatening the IEC or threatening violence if the results are declared. Like any political party, he can lodge his complaints and they will be dealt with by the IEC.
By saying the MKP should have received 66% of the vote, Zuma is reminiscent of tinpot dictators who attempt to rig elections after they lose the popular vote.
The IEC should stand firm against Zuma’s populist attacks and proceed to declare the election results if they believe all material complaints have been dealt with.
News24’s columnist and UJ’s Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana said Zuma should go to court if he is not satisfied instead of threatening the IEC. He said:
The IEC is empowered to declare the election results if irregularities have no material impact on the results. Whoever disagrees with that announcement must then go to court.
What the MK is doing there is typical of parties around this time, during elections. They try to increase their numbers through intimidation.
In the last election, we had Mzwanele Manyi and the EFF making all manner of threats, but nothing came of them.
The IEC must go ahead and declare the elections if they’re satisfied that they’ve complied with their regulations.
Then, we’ll leave it to law enforcement to deal with the mob. This may well be the right time to affirm that we’re a democratic state based on the rule of law, not subjects in some fiefdom under a strong man.
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