‘Ernomous victory’ over IEC to benefit thousands of voters abroad – DA’s Zille

‘Ernomous victory’ over IEC to benefit thousands of voters abroad – DA’s Zille

Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council, Helen Zille, says the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) should not differentiate between consulates headed by “transferred staff” and those led by honorary consuls.

Zille said this was the basis of the party’s argument in its case against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which it won at the Electoral Cout to ensure more voting stations abroad.

RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS FROM PERTH

“This outcome follows a submission by the DA on 15 February to the Electoral Court to request the inclusion of all Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates as voting stations for the 2024 elections,” said Zille.

“The DA action was in response to complaints from South Africans residing in Perth, who sought the opening of the Honorary Consulate as a voting facility. The High Commission in Canberra claimed that the Perth Consulate could not be utilised for voting as it is “not headed by transferred staff from South Africa,” she wrote in a statement.

DA TO MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF COURT RULING

The party said more than 40,000 South Africans living abroad would be affected.

The DA said it would monitor the IEC to ensure the practical implementation of this decision and confirm the number and location of all additional voting stations.

On Tuesday, the Commission lost its case against the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and its leader, former President Jacob Zuma, who appealed against his removal from the party’s candidates list for Parliament and Legislatures.

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