WALLIS AJ
objection in terms of section 15 of the Electoral Act, and that had not been done.
Lastly, it held that the complaint about such voters’ participation in the elections
should have been pursued in terms of section 65 of the Municipal Electoral Act and
the applicants, save for Mr Kham in September, had not done this.
[21]
Wepener J dissented from these conclusions. He held that it was an exercise in
placing form over substance to non-suit the applicants because of the manner in which
they had originally framed their prayer. On the facts he held, as had the majority, that
on the IEC’s own affidavits there were serious irregularities in the electoral process.
These consisted of the registration of voters in wards where they were not entitled to
be registered;16 the failure to adhere to the election timetable in providing the
candidates with a free copy of the voters’ roll; and, the fact that the voters’ roll that
was made available did not include voters’ addresses. In his view these irregularities
meant that the election had not been free and fair. As his was a minority judgment he
did not formulate the relief that he would have granted flowing from this conclusion.
In this Court
[22]
The applicants accept that the Electoral Court was correct to hold that the relief
by way of an order that the IEC commission a forensic investigation was beyond its
jurisdiction.
They confined themselves to seeking an order setting aside the
by-election results in the eight wards relying on the irregularities that emerged from
the IEC’s own papers. Their complaint was that on the evidence of irregularities in
the IEC’s own affidavit, especially the rejoining affidavit, the by-elections could not
be said to have been free and fair and accordingly they should be set aside.
Issues
[23]
The following issues must be addressed:
16
It was not suggested that these individuals were not entitled to be registered as voters on the national common
voters’ roll. The objection was confined to saying that they were not entitled to be registered in these particular
wards.
12