A campaigning councillor and seasoned litigant – who cut his teeth on exposing voters roll fraud in the Abaqulusi by-election, which he managed to have postponed twice – is going for the big time.
He has lodged an urgent application with the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein, asking that the May 7 elections be postponed, and that all the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) commissioners be removed.
Last year, Andre Lötter, who describes himself in the application as “a pro-democracy activist” uncovered massive voters roll fraud in the run-up to the by-election in Ward 22, Abaqulusi (Vryheid).
He claimed that voters had been bused in from other wards, and had been registered for the by-election. Due to his persistence, the IEC eventually removed more than 1 800 names from the voters roll. Lötter is still angry that no one has been brought to book for the fraud.
On Wednesday he lodged urgent papers at the Electoral Court in Bloemfontein on the basis that the elections can be neither free nor fair.
The respondents are listed as the IEC and five commissioners –
Faith Dikeledi Pansy Tlakula, Ismael Terry Tselane, Gidfonia Mlindelwa Makhanya, Bongani Blessing Finca and Raenette Taljaard.
He gives the respondents until May 2 to notify the court if they wish to oppose his application.
In the papers he says: “Over the past 12 months, the Electoral Commission has on about 17 occasions shown itself incompetent to organise free, fair and regular elections on the municipal level owing to its inability to prevent large-scale unlawful voter registration. [….]
South Africa Today – South Africa News
