‘Throw the conspiracy theories away!’- Dirco rubbish claims ‘IEC is captured’ after US meeting

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Monyela has stepped in to calm fears of this month’s elections being “captured”.

This after the US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety met with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) this week.

The meeting, just weeks before the country goes to the polls, led to speculation of “interference” and the electoral system being “captured’.

Elections ‘secret weapon’

Former president Jacob Zuma‘s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla said it showed “secret weapons becoming clearer and clearer”. Poet Ntsiki Mazwai called it “irresponsible so close to elections“.

Responding to the concerns, Monyela said it was “normal for the IEC to meet with diplomats”.

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“They have already engaged EU diplomats and will meet the Dean of African Diplomats. Dirco is convening a meeting of the Diplomatic Corps for a briefing by the IEC on the state of readiness for 29 May elections (standard practice). Throw the conspiracy theories away!”

He said the IEC had done “nothing wrong or unusual”.

“We all have a responsibility to jealousy guard/protect the credibility of our electoral system.”

IEC: Part of the process

The IEC said it meets with diplomats “as a matter of course ahead of general elections”.

“Our readiness for the elections is the topic of all such meeting discussions. It is similar to that of the recent oversight visit by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 26 April.

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“With 26 days to Election Day, and 16 days to the first voting out-of-country, we are focused on the timely distribution of election materials to voting stations.”

Watch IEC Chairperson, Mr Mosotho Moepya stressing the integrity of the elections:

KEYNOTE ADDRESS I IEC Chairperson, Mr Mosotho Moepya “Today may I remind that in every election there’s indeed a need to adhere to the code of conduct for an election.” #SAelections24 pic.twitter.com/u2wOdwcAvk

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) April 23, 2024

Concerns over overseas votes

Meanwhile, Dirco has reassured South Africans abroad that they will be able to vote later this month, after concerns about the shipment of voting material overseas.

“Dirco and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have met and agreed on logistics for the dispatching of election materials.

“Voting materials will be sent to all 115 South African diplomatic missions using diplomatic airfreight bags. The short-term contract for this purpose is in place.

“The diplomatic bag is protected by diplomatic immunity. DIRCO makes use of diplomatic bags to dispatch official documents and articles to and from South Africa in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963,” it said.