The Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto weSizwe Party has withdrawn its vote-rigging legal challenge against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The case at the Electoral Court was withdrawn on Wednesday in what the MK Party described as a strategic withdrawal, citing that it has gathered more evidence that the May 29 general election was rigged.
Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the spokesperson for the MK Party, said the withdrawal does not mean that the party is giving up on its legal battle.
He said the organisation will soon file papers in the form of an affidavit.
These papers, according to Ndhlela, will carry more evidence against the IEC as the party has canvassed more experts who have pointed to irregularities.
He said the Electoral Court case was initially brought forth to show that the vote results were not credible or fair.
Credible forensic audits
“Our reasons, in part, which we will demonstrate in our pursuit to take the matter further, are the failure by the IEC to perform credible forensic audits of its election system,” said Ndhlela.
“After filing our application to set aside the election results, the IEC and its newly found ally, the Democratic Alliance, filed answering affidavits from which it is clear that the IEC wishes to have the matter dismissed as urgently as it declared the results based largely on technicalities.”
Ndhlela said the new evidence was in support of the experts that the MK Party has engaged with, who showed that the election results’ irregularities were too serious to be ignored.
“Given these circumstances and to further ensure that all the evidence in the possession of the MK Party is presented before the court in a manner that enables a fair adjudication of the matter, we have been advised that the application should be withdrawn for now.
“In light of the above-mentioned, the MK Party will be filing a new court case with the necessary courts as a matter of urgency.”
