The Electoral Court has slapped MK Party’s Visvin Reddy and Bonginkosi Khanyile with an order to pay a fine of R150 000 each, suspended for five years. The specialist court found the pair in contravention of the Electoral Act over remarks they made in March regarding the registration of the MK Party.
In March, Reddy and Khanyile publicly said there will be anarchy and riots if the MK Party was not registered and that there would be no elections in the country if party leader, Jacob Zuma was to be removed from the ballot.
The specialist court found that they contravened Section 87 Subsections 1 and 2 of the Electoral Act which prohibits, among others, anyone from interfering with the independence or impartiality of the IEC and preventing a person from exercising their right to vote.
The sanction is suspended for five years with the conditions that the respondents do not contravene the relevant sections of the Act for the five years and that they do not make any statements that seek to undermine any electoral processes during the same period.
The MK Party has withdrawn its application against the Electoral Commission (IEC) at the Electoral Court that sought to invalidate the 2024 election results.
The party had alleged that the elections results declared by the IEC were not free and fair.
It also called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to call for a new election date.
JUST IN: MK Party has withdrawn its application in the Electoral Court. The application sought to invalidate the 2024 National & Provincial Elections #SABCNewspic.twitter.com/w3YGWGMc3k
Judges Matter had called for Parliament to elect MPs with integrity to serve on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the Magistrate’s Commission.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has nominated impeached Judge President Dr John Hlophe while the ANC has nominated Soviet Lekganyane and Fasiha Hassan.
The DA has nominated Glynnis Breytenbach while Athol Trollip has been nominated for ActionSA and Julius Malema has been nominated for the EFF.
Research and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter, Mbekezeli Benjamin says Parliament must come to the party.
“For several years, Judges Matter has called for a code of conduct to be developed for both the Judicial Service Commission and the Magistrates Commission. The code must hold commissioners to high ethical standards with the option of recalling them should the commissioner fail to uphold the code. But while that process is under way, Parliament needs to come to the party and select only those members who will meet high ethical standards. An obvious disqualifier is anyone who has been found guilty or has been implicated in serious ethical misconduct. MPs do not represent their jackets and the commissions; they represent the people of South Africa and its time that Parliament play its role.”
SABC News understands that a deal could be imminent between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) on the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
President Cyril Ramaphosa met with DA leader John Steenhuisen yesterday, to iron out some of the outstanding issues relating to the constitution of the executive.
Insiders have reliably told SABC News that a deal could be reached by the end of the weekend. This after the President stressed the urgency of constituting his executive in a letter penned to the DA.
Meanwhile, other parties in the GNU have raised concerns over the delay and called for a speedy resolution to the impasse.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet DA leader John Steenhuisen this afternoon. The two party leaders will try to find common ground regarding the constitution of the Government of National Unity.
