The local government elections must take place between October 27 and November 1, the Constitutional Court has ruled.
In an order released on Friday afternoon, the country's apex court said the application by the Electoral Commission of SA to have the vote postponed had been dismissed. But it also ruled that a proclamation by co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma that the vote should happen on October 27 was “unconstitutional, invalid and is set aside”.
The IEC had launched a Constitutional Court bid to postpone the fifth local government elections after adopting a report from former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, who had recommended that the elections be deferred to no later than February 2022 if they were to be free and fair. Dlamini-Zuma proclaimed October 27 as the date for the local government polls. However, she said that that was done to meet statutory and constitutional obligations, and the date could change pending the Constitutional Court’s decision.Register or sign in now.