to more violence’
Ann Eveleth
KwaZulu-Natal human rights groups delivered a stiff blow this week to the African National Congress’s bid to stall local government elections in the province, warning a postponement would escalate tensions.
In a submission tabled to the task group investigating the feasibility of the May 29 poll date, the Human Rights Advocacy Forum warned that: “The postponement of the elections may well lead to an escalation of violence and create further issues of conflict … and may allow for militants to further undermine the political turbulence in the province.”
The forum includes the Network of Independent Monitors, Lawyers for Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission and the Independent Medical-Legal Unit.
The forum said continuing political violence and a lack of free political activity raised serious questions about whether the elections can be free and fair in a number of areas and linked an “increased militarisation” in the province in the past four months to the poll, but warned that a postponement would “not necessarily ensure a better security situation”.
The forum called for effective investigations into acts of political violence and assassination of candidates, an independent monitoring structure to evaluate and report on the process, and advised that urgent attention be paid to questions of fraud and voter registration.