The IFP welcomes the announcement of the date for the Local Government Election (LGE) – which is to be held on Wednesday, 27 October 2021 – by President Cyril Ramaphosa, yesterday evening.
The much-anticipated announcement of the date for the LGE brings a sigh of relief to many political parties and independent candidates, as the LGE requires much planning. The announcement also means that all political parties are able to finalise their internal procedures, such as candidate selection, manifesto planning and all other political activity, so as to be compliant with the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and safety protocols.
We have been proactive and vocal in expressing our displeasure over the manner in which other parties have tried to use the Covid-19 pandemic to push for one single election in 2024, and we are pleased that this idea did not come to fruition.
It is our hope that with final date now set for late October 2021, government will ramp-up their efforts in vaccine distribution and the inoculation of the adult population. Ideally, we would want to have the majority of the country’s adults vaccinated by the time elections begin across the country, to ensure herd-immunity and to curb the further spread of Covid-19.
We look forward to a productive meeting with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) today, as we have a number of voting district and polling station issues to raise, including a request for two weekends for voter registration, instead of one.
As a Party, we have kicked-off some campaigning efforts well in advance and we are geared-up towards providing South Africans with compelling reasons to vote for us, based on our track record of clean and responsive governance, effective service delivery and our principles of ubuntu/botho, which are based on a system of mutual respect and understanding of the electorate.
The IFP will closely monitor the final gazetting of the date for the election by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, this week.
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Contact:
Velenkosini Hlabisa, MPL
IFP President and Leader of the Official Opposition in the KZN Legislature
083 974 5783