The Constitutional Court will this week hear the Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC’s) application to postpone the 2021 local government elections beyond the scheduled October 27.
The IEC applied to the top court earlier in August to have the municipal polls deferred to February 2022, in line with the recommendations of the Moseneke report. The inquiry, headed by retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, found that the municipal elections would not be free and fair if they were to be held in October.
The report noted there were health considerations linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and also raised concerns over the amount of time political parties would have to prepare for the October elections considering the lockdown restrictions placed on political gatherings.
The DA, which intends to oppose the IEC’s application, has accused the electoral body of “helping the ANC evade electoral accountability” by postponing the elections, which the IEC has denied. The ANC and EFF have asked the court to join the IEC’s application as affected parties and have indicated their support for the postponement of the polls.
MPs return from constituency work this week, with activities lined up including the election of a new speaker of parliament, which is scheduled for Thursday. This follows the appointment of former speaker Thandi Modise as defence minister by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier in August.
The ANC, which has the majority in parliament, is expected to nominate defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as speaker of parliament. Mapisa-Nqakula was removed from her position after lapses in security and governance in the security cluster during the July riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
If elected as speaker, Mapisa-Nqakula is likely to preside over the extraordinary debate on the unrest, looting and destruction of property in July.
Acting chief justice Raymond Zondo, or a judge designated by him, must preside over the election of the new speaker.
“If there is more than one nomination for the position of speaker, National Assembly members will vote by secret ballot and this will require physical presence of members at parliament. Appropriate measures have been put in place to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 protocols,” parliament said in a statement.
The arbitration hearing between unions and management at Eskom is expected to begin at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Tuesday. Eskom has remained steadfast in its wage offer of a 1.5% increase and has already implemented it from July 1, angering unions. The cash-strapped power utility unilaterally decided to enact the salary increase in June after talks between the parties collapsed.
The three main unions at Eskom, the National Union of Mineworkers, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA and Solidarity, rejected the offer after demanding above-inflation increases of 9.5%-15%.
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