The GOOD Party has lodged an urgent application with the Electoral Court after alleged corruption in the registration of voters in George ahead of tomorrow's by-elections.
The party's General Secretary Brett Herron said the move came after obtaining new information pointing to "false" registration of voters in Ward 20.
‘’After submitting substantive evidence to the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) on Saturday that DA canvassers had falsely registered voters from Thembalethu as residents of Ward 20, in Borcherds, on Monday, GOOD also received new evidence of 188 voters all registered on the voter’s roll at the same address in Ward 16, where a second by-election is scheduled.
‘’It is unthinkable that 188 adults could live in the small house, in what a simple scan of Google Maps reveals to be a small single-storey dwelling – and unfathomable that the IEC failed to detect the aberration,’’ said Herron.
It turned out that only two people lived on the property.
Herron said the evidence warranted the postponement of the by-elections until after the voter’s roll had been thoroughly investigated and those responsible for the alleged fraud brought to book.
However, he said the party was told by the IEC on Monday that it ‘’couldn’t do anything’’ about the evidence of registration fraud in Ward 20 because it was reported too late.
GOOD said the evidence of voter registration fraud was only disclosed to the party on 14 July.
‘’The IEC’s position that it can’t act on evidence of election fraud, including affidavits by the perpetrators and a list of falsely registered names and addresses, because objections to the voter’s roll should have been lodged by 22 June 2023 in compliance with the by-election timetable, is illogical,’’ argued Herron.
He further said if the by-elections were not postponed, this would enable unqualified voters to elect a ward councillor for a ward they did not live in.
Seven political parties would contest the by-elections in both wards.
They included the African Restoration Alliance, ANC, DA, EFF, GOOD, Patriotic Alliance and Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners.
Both wards were previously represented by GOOD but became vacant after the councillors resigned.
Herron said the party turned to the Electoral Court in order to compel the IEC to intervene.
The IEC said it would investigate and consider the matter before certification of the voters' roll.