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EBC WARNED NOT TO RIG SIPHOFANENI ELECTIONS

26/07/2022 06:58:00 Nhlanganiso Mkhonta

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MBABANE – Ahead of the secondary by-elections at Siphofaneni Inkhundla this Saturday, some concerns have been raised on how the primary by-elections were held.

As such, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has been warned not to rig the elections. Former Siphofaneni Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane, who the elections are meant to fill his seat after he lost it last year due to missing 21 Parliament sittings, said he was warning the EBC not to rig the elections as he was anticipating it. Simelane said his suspicions were brought about by some incidents that happened during the primary elections at KaMkhweli Umphakatsi. The secondary elections are scheduled for this coming Saturday where a winner to replace Simelane will be elected.

Simelane narrated that his wife Lomalungelo LaZwide, who is contesting, informed him about an incident that happened at KaMkhweli. Simelane said his wife narrated that the EBC opened two voting streams (classrooms) but assigned one agent to keep an eye on them. Simelane said this left one of the voting streams (classroom) without an agent to keep watch on it, stating that such opened room for the rigging of the elections. Simelane said his wife and other candidates during the primary elections raised this concern with the EBC. He said LaZwide wrote to the EBC who in turn acknowledged the concern.

He said in its response, the EBC said it would fix the matter during the secondary elections by providing two agents to monitor the two streams.
Simelane claimed that there were many other unprocedural things that happened during the primary by-elections, but he would not divulge them at this stage. The former MP, who is now president of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), added that another red flag was that all the contestants made campaign posters which had EBC logos, but claimed only LaZwide received a letter from the EBC, informing her to withdraw the poster because it had the organisation’s logo. “Why not write letters to all of them?” asked Simelane.

Contestants

However, this publication engaged the other contestants on this matter and they stated that they were also engaged by the EBC to remove the commission’s logo. Sabelo Ngcamphalala, who hails from Ngevini Umphakatsi, said he also received a letter from the EBC after he used the commission’s logo in his campaign posters. He said the EBC, in the letter, informed him not to use the commission’s logo as it was prohibited to use another entity’s property without having consulted it or sought permission. Moshoeshoe Nkambule who hails from Mandlenya Umphakatsi said he had designed his posters after the EBC engaged them not to use their logo. He said they were served with the letters not to use the logo as a reference that some candidates had used it yet this was prohibited.

Nonetheless, Simelane said during his campaigning phase in 2018, his posters had the EBC logo, same with the other candidates at the time. Ngcamphalala concurred with Simelane on this one as he also wondered what had changed now because those who were contesting in 2018 used the EBC logo without any issues. He said he believed that adding the EBC logo on the posters should not be an issue as it could be evidence that indeed the candidate was contesting in legal elections. In response, EBC Communications Officer Mbonisi Bhembe said though in 2018 he was not with the commission, what happened at the time did not mean that candidates should be allowed to use the logo this time around as it was illegal. He said if it happened in 2018, it was a mistake that the commission was now correcting. Bhembe said there was no discrimination on the issue of the logo, but all the candidates contesting for the by-elections were engaged by the commission not to use the logo.

According to the letter written to LaZwide, EBC explained that she (LaZwide) did not request to use the EBC logo and, therefore, her action was unlawful and amounted to undue influence in that affixing the EBC on her campaign material created an impression that the EBC was behind her as a candidate to the detriment of other candidates. The letter said by her conduct, she compromised the independence and impartiality of the commission which was specifically criminalised as undue influence under Section 78 (1)(d) of the Elections Act 6/2013 which states that; a person shall not directly or indirectly, by oneself or by any other person interfere with the independence or impartiality of the commission, any, member, employee or officer of the commission.

The former MP said due to the stated scenarios and the others he could not reveal, he was warning the EBC not to dare rig the elections on Saturday.
Simelane explained that by this warning, he was not necessarily saying his wife should be the winner. “For me, rigging is not defined by LaZwide winning or not winning. It is defined by following the laid down laws and standard procedure that we know. Free and fair elections are what I am calling for,” said Simelane. When asked on how he would know if the elections were rigged, he said he knew laws and standard procedures governing the elections so they would know when they have breached them. “We will keep an eye on every move and spot any anomaly,” added Simelane.