The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has decided postpone the October municipal polls to February 2022, subject to approval by the courts.
The municipal elections were initially scheduled for October 2021 in line with a constitutional five-year limit placed on the municipal councils. However, the electoral body "unanimously" decided to implement the findings of the Moseneke report, which recommended that the elections be postponed to February.
The report of the Inquiry into Ensuring Free and Fair Elections during Covid-19, penned by former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, was released on Tuesday and recommended that the elections be postponed to early 2022, when the health risks associated with Covid-19 would be likely to have subsided due to widespread vaccination.
The IEC, however, does not have the authority to change the constitutional limits placed on the terms of municipal councils and will therefore approach the courts for approval to defer the elections beyond October, according to IEC chair Glen Mashinini.
"Until a court of competent jurisdiction has determined the application for deferral, all other planned electoral activities will proceed," Mashinini said at a media briefing on Friday.
The IEC will also approach the Treasury regarding the financial implications of postponing the polls. The body will also hold consultations on the way forward with co-operative government and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as the authority responsible for the proclamation of the upcoming general elections of municipal councils.
According to the IEC's timelines, Dlamini-Zuma is scheduled to proclaim the date for the municipal elections by August 6.
In June, the IEC said it was at an advanced stage of preparation for the elections and the voter registration weekend, which was scheduled for July 17 and 18. The registration weekend was, however, postponed to July 31 and August 1 due to lockdown restrictions.
The electoral body has once again deferred the registration weekend to an undetermined date, to preserve the lives of the members of electoral staff, political party agents, observers and voters who would ordinarily be in attendance at 23,151 registration stations across the country, Mashinini said.
The online registration of voters, however, continues with over 10,000 registrations processed by Friday. These include both new voters and eligible voters checking their registration status.
A delay of the elections could face resistance from some political parties that support the commencement of the elections in 2021, despite the Covid-19.
On Friday, IEC commissioner Janet Love said the IEC had informed political parties of its decision to implement the Moseneke report. Political parties are expected to report back on their decision to the IEC following consultations, Love said.
The report also raised concerns that political parties would have limited time to prepare for the elections considering the restrictions on political gatherings under level 4 of the lockdown.
Moseneke said that the current timetable set for the municipal polls, including the registration of voters and the announcement of the date of the elections, would not be reasonably achieved considering the possibility of continued lock down measures.
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