IFP says poll was neither free nor fair

The Inkatha Freedom Party will contest the results of the election after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) failed to investigate 42 complaints of violence and intimidation lodged by the party, and declared the poll free and fair.

The party claims that irregularities occurred in both national and provincial elections, but mainly in its stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal.

IFP spokesperson Musa Zondi told the Mail & Guardian Online on Monday morning that the IEC had ignored all its complaints and objections about the poll and had then gone ahead and announced the final results.

He said the IEC seemed “totally oblivious” of what had gone on in KwaZulu-Natal and that there had been a number of irregularities that had been ignored.

IFP spokesperson John Aulsebrook on Monday afternoon raised concerns that the IEC had declared the election free and fair without advising all political parties of its intention.

“The Inkatha Freedom Party is accordingly unable to endorse the declaration of the election to have been free and fair and has tasked a legal team to investigate the institution of an appeal to the Electoral Court.”

He said he was unsure whether the appeal would be lodged on Monday.

“It is up to the legal team to decide when and where.”

Aulsebrook said the party was concerned that 367 731 votes were cast in KwaZulu-Natal outside registered voter districts.

“The IFP expresses extreme concern that 367 731 voters cast their ballots in voter districts in KwaZulu-Natal where such voters were not registered on the voters roll for the particular districts.”

He said it was alarming that the verification procedures, in place to confirm voters’ correct registered voting districts, was insufficient.

The IFP also accused the ANC of transporting its supporters from one voting district to another.

He added that the party was concerned by allegations that members of the SA National Defence Force had intimidated and assaulted residents of the Msinga area.

“Some of these incidents allegedly prevented persons from exercising their constitutional right to vote and have accordingly impacted on the freeness and fairness of the election.”

Aulsebrook said a full dossier containing the details of these incidents were submitted to Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota for investigation.

The party took the decision to approach the Electoral Court at a 10-hour emergency meeting of its National and Provincial Councils in Durban on Sunday. Speculation is that the IFP may agree to another coalition in the province with the ANC, but the party says it will not participate in the national or provincial government while the court case is in progress.

Zondi said the IFP leadership had appointed a task-team, headed by him, that would explore all options and then advise the leadership as soon as possible.

Lydia Young, the media facilitator for the IEC, told the Mail & Guardian Online on Monday that they had not been served with papers by the IFP.

“It’s just something that’s out in the media,” she said, adding that the IEC will not respond until it has been served papers by the Electoral Court. — Sapa