‘We have solid election structures’ – Malema dismisses ‘dangerous’ election rigging claims

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has dismissed the rhetoric of election rigging, saying that the country has “solid” election structures.

Former African National Congress (ANC) leaders Jacob Zuma and Ace Magashule have made claims of election rigging.

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During their respective election campaigns last month, Zuma accused the IEC of favouring the ANC, while Magashule said that his party would emerge victorious in the upcoming elections, and no election rigging would stand in his way.

Last week, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa tweeted a photo of two vehicles with branding reading ‘Sadtu votes ANC’ and alleged: “The IEC is using this union to run this country’s elections, an affiliate of Cosatu, which is in alliance with the ANC. This time in our meeting of the opposition parties on 26/02/24, we must take a resolution on this rigging of SA elections.”

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Sadtu dismissed Holomisa’s claims as “an unscrupulous campaign by some political parties to use the union to tarnish the integrity” of the IEC.

Malema: ‘No election is going to be rigged’

Malema took to social media on Sunday, calling on politicians who feel defeated before the country takes to the polls to give up rather than sow panic by alleging election rigging.

The country’s elections will be held on 29 May 2024.

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“The reality is, no election is going to be rigged,” said the EFF leader.

“If you feel defeated before even putting up a fight, then give up. We have solid election structures, including highly trained party agents.

“The rhetoric of predetermined outcomes is extremely dangerous, especially during highly contested elections like the one we are confronted with now. We heard before that people have intelligent information about this or that without producing anything material even at a point where we thought something would give nothing came forward. Not now, we have listened to this nonsensical story of “information came” for far too long and it won’t work this time around.”

Malema encouraged political parties to watch out for one another at the voting stations.

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“If anything goes wrong, we will have allowed it. The counting part is the most critical point of every election.”

Malema further advocated for the recruitment of retired professionals as party agents “because they won’t be easily intimidated.”

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed claims of election rigging in the country, saying that the IEC was one of the best elections agencies globally.

“There is no way that you can rig elections in South Africa with that type of transparency we have put in place some of the best systems in IT with manual and remember that our elections are manual,” Ramaphosa told the SABC.

The IEC also dismissed claims of bias made by Zuma.

“I think what we would say to any political party, and that includes the unrepresented political parties, is that as soon as a political party is part of the process for an upcoming election, they are also part of the process of joining with the commission to ensure that the elections are managed in a way that is free and fair,” said IEC vice-chairperson Janet Love in a media briefing last month.

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“The commission has received absolutely no evidence of bias and rejects this kind of talk that attempts to really inject into our country almost an insurrectionist mood.”