The UDM will join the ANC’s court action to reopen the process to submit candidates for the local government election.
The ANC claimed that it had had problems submitting its candidates through the online portal of the Electoral Commission (IEC). It failed to submit candidates for more than 30 municipalities and would be approaching the Electoral Court to reopen the process.
The UDM said it would be joining the action as friends of the court, as it had also had problems submitting its candidates.
Said UDM leader Bantu Holomisa: ‘We are also challenging the 23 August deadline for the registration… it’s for the first time in the history of the IEC where all political parties were not agreeing to the timetable of the IEC.’
The Democratic Alliance has promised it will oppose any such court action to reopen the candidate lists.
In 2016 the National Freedom Party missed a deadline to pay its registration fee and – with the exception of one municipality, where the local branch had made the payment – was prevented from competing in the election.
It is not clear if the IEC will be as strict in these elections.
[Image: eNCA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89078109]