The Electoral Court has granted the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) permission to postpone Wednesday’s by-elections because of the country’s move to adjusted level 4 lockdown that came into effect on Monday.
The renewed restrictions, aimed at curbing the surge of a third wave of coronavirus infections — there were 13,347 new cases reported on Tuesday — ban all gatherings except funerals. Announcing the new measures on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said these would be reviewed after 14 days.
Any further extension of the restrictions could affect the voter registration weekend scheduled for July 17 and 18.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said in a statement on Wednesday that the electoral body has been permitted to postpone the by-elections for 120 days from the date of the order. The court also granted leave to approach the court for further relief if necessary.
The IEC has yet to set a new date for by-elections.
“The electoral commission will engage with the relevant provincial MECs for co-operative governance and other key stakeholders including political parties and candidates who are registered to contest the by-elections in this regard,” Bapela said.
Wednesday’s by-elections, which were to be held across eight wards in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape, were the last to be held before local government elections, which are currently scheduled for Oct. 27
The IEC was previously granted permission to postpone by-elections during the first and second waves of the pandemic, between March 2020 and February 2021.
The ANC and DA have notified the public of their approval for the October polls to go ahead despite the threat of Covid 19 spreading further. The EFF has called for the municipal elections to be merged with national elections scheduled for 2024.
The inquiry into the viability of the municipal polls, headed by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke is expected to release its report on July 21. Though the Moseneke findings are non-binding, the IEC has said it will take them findings of the report into consideration before deciding whether local government elections will still take place.
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