The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has taken its candidate-list dispute with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to court. UDM deputy president Ngabayomzi Kwankwa stated that the party's Buffalo City ward candidates were excluded from the certified list ahead of November's local government elections. Kwankwa, who is also the party's Buffalo City mayoral candidate, said he was currently the only UDM candidate from Buffalo City appearing on the proportional representation (PR) list.
According to Kwankwa, the UDM had deliberately decided that only its mayoral candidates would appear on its PR lists. This decision was made to prevent competition among party members and maintain focus on the organisation's broader political objectives. Kwankwa stressed that the party's ward candidates had not been abandoned, but rather, they were not included on the PR lists. The UDM has written to the IEC, through its president, General Bantu Holomisa, expressing its concerns and seeking a resolution.
Despite efforts to resolve the matter, Kwankwa said it remained unresolved, prompting the party to explore legal action. The UDM will pursue every lawful avenue available to it in relation to the candidate-list challenges. Kwankwa met with Buffalo City regional leadership to discuss the crisis and how the campaign would continue while the legal process unfolded. The leadership agreed that the party would continue with its campaign despite the uncertainty surrounding the candidate lists.
Kwankwa stated that the candidate-list problems were not confined to Buffalo City and that other UDM regions were also affected. His position as the party's Buffalo City mayoral candidate remained unchanged, and he would continue campaigning alongside the party's candidates, volunteers, and supporters. The UDM will also explore possible partnerships and other lawful avenues to ensure its candidates had an opportunity to serve in council.
The UDM's objective remains securing enough representation to participate in governing Buffalo City after the November 4 elections. Kwankwa said the party remained committed to its campaign and its candidates despite the candidate-list dispute. The party will meet with all its candidates to explain the situation before resuming its campaign in communities across Buffalo City.
Kwankwa assured that the UDM would continue with its campaign, even with the current uncertainty surrounding the candidate lists. He said, "Even if I currently stand alone on the list, I will not stand alone in the streets." The party will return to the communities, streets, and people, Kwankwa added.
The IEC has confirmed that 23,696 voting stations have been secured for South Africa's November 4 local government elections. The UDM's decision to take the candidate-list dispute to court is one of several developments in the run-up to the elections. Other parties, including the ANC, have also faced challenges with candidate lists, with the ANC appealing a ruling on 181 excluded candidates.
Key points
- UDM deputy president Ngabayomzi Kwankwa says party will pursue legal avenues after Buffalo City ward candidates excluded from certified candidate list.
- UDM had deliberately decided that only its mayoral candidates would appear on its PR lists.
- The party's objective remains securing enough representation to participate in governing Buffalo City after the November 4 elections.
