President Cyril Ramaphosa said that local government elections would go ahead as planned on 27 October for now and that no other date had so far been considered.
However, much depended on the report from the inquiry by former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke into the conditions for free and fair elections.
Moseneke was commissioned to hold the inquiry by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
A number of parties have called for the elections to be postponed, saying that COVID-19 restrictions would hamper their campaigning.
Ramaphosa was answering questions during a sitting of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday afternoon.
A formal proclamation of the 27 October date for local government elections must still be made by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
But some parties feared that they would not be free or fair, due to covid restrictions, and wanted them postponed.
President Ramaphosa said that it would be up to the IEC to decide, based on whatever recommendations the inquiry led by Justice Moseneke made.
“Any possible postponement of elections is a matter on which the IEC will have to make a determination, in terms of the provisions of the Constitution and applicable legal prescripts. The Moseneke Inquiry is about inquiring into and providing a report on the conditions for free and fair elections.”
Ramaphosa continued, saying: “As there is no determination of a postponement at this stage, no other date has been considered as an election date other than 27 October.”
He said that Moseneke should be allowed to complete his inquiry.
“To pre-empt what Justice Moseneke will come up with would be a mistake. Let us allow the process that he has been given to lead to take place.”
-EWN
In other news – You have no respect for your son – Zodwa Wabantu told after flashing her privates in public
Mzansi dancer Zodwa Wabantu is always getting praised by her fans for being real and focused when she posts her revealing pictures. This time one fan has told Zodwa that she does not respect her son.
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