The Electoral Commission (IEC) says investigations into the leaking of the ANC and uMkhonto weSizwe’s (MKP) candidate lists identified the workstation used to generate and store the reports.
“Later, the said reports were deleted from the workstation.
Earlier on Monday the workstation was secured and imaged in the presence of the staff member whose credentials were used to generate the reports.
“A forensic analysis of the computer is currently underway,” said IEC Chief Electoral Office Sy Mamabolo.
He was speaking during a media briefing on Monday following concerns about how the party lists made it to the public after they were submitted Friday.
The Information Regulator is taking the IEC to task over not providing “sufficient details” to be compliant with Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) requirements regarding a security compromise that led to the leaking of candidate lists.
The regulator on Monday said it was not satisfied with the information received and has since sent an information notice to the IEC requiring it to furnish the regulator with more details regarding the incidents.
“The regulator’s information notice requests, among others, proof that the IEC has published the security compromise notice on its website, proof of written notification to the MKP; confirmation of the number of data subjects impacted by the security compromise, provision of sufficient information to allow the data subjects to take protective measures against the potential consequences of the compromise. The requested information will assist the regulator in determining whether the IEC has met its obligations as a responsible party under POPIA.”
The regulator also wants to know how an unauthorised person accessed the personal information of data subjects, and details on the technical and organisational measures that the IEC has implemented to mitigate against the risk of the affected data subjects’ personal information being unlawfully accessed and/or unlawfully processed.
Mamabolo said: “The Commission reiterates its regret for the unauthorised disclosure of the lists and the disclosure of personal information of candidates on those lists.
“The Commission continues to cooperate with the Information Regulator in this regard.”
Briefing the media following the submission of candidates lists to the IEC on Friday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula on Monday maintained that the candidates were selected through a rigorous, transparent and democratic process that followed a new set of rules. He also defended the inclusion of members named in the state capture report.
He said of the persons named in the report, only 20 were current or former National Executive Committee (NEC) members and/or public representatives.
“Of these only six appear on the ANC 2024 candidate lists.”
Mbalula also said the national officials had compiled a report containing 16 names of candidates, who engaged with the Integrity Commission and whether they were named in the Zondo Commission for submission to the special NEC meeting last week.
The Integrity Commission made no adverse findings against nine candidates, who were eligible to stand as ANC candidates.Three candidates were found eligible to stand pending finalisation of their review as the Integrity Commission made adverse findings against them, and two others were not eligible to stand as ANC candidates.
Candidates who were named in the Zondo Commission report and did not present themselves to the Integrity Commission were not eligible to stand.
“We have had 20 people who appeared in the Zondo Commission.
Each one has been attended to,” he said.
He insisted that “nobody is let off the hook in terms of the matter”.
According to Mbalula, people on “step aside” were not allowed on candidate lists, and those with criminal records were taken off.
“Comrades who appeared (at) Zondo Commission and there are adverse findings by Integrity Commission, the rule says no one will be eligible to stand if they have gone to Integrity Commission and have adverse findings confirmed by the NEC. Those members who are in the list with their cases not been confirmed by the NEC, it is due to process cases of a host of cases which comes from the Integrity Commission.
“They will be reassessed and the NEC will endorse your standing as a public representative,” he said, adding that candidates will be subjected to lifestyle audits, among other things. There is no list littered with people who have got adverse findings and the NEC decided to ignore that,” he added.
Cape Times