Maimane to meet IEC officials for ‘ANC-Alex shutdown’ complaint

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane will meet with officials from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regarding the DA’s complaint implicating the ANC in “sponsoring” violent protests in DA-run municipalities.

The DA will meet with IEC officials at their offices in Centurion to discuss the IEC’s preparations to ensure a free and fair election process on May 8, as well as discuss the ANC’s alleged involvement in the Alex shut down protests.

On Wednesday last week, DA’s national spokesperson Solly Malatsi announced that the party had received a complaint from the IEC where the ANC’s secretary general, Ace Magashule, denied the party’s involvement in orchestrating violent protests in a number of municipalities run by the DA.

Malatsi said the DA received the complaint from the IEC, although it remained clear “from a range of factors that the ANC is inciting violence in Alex and that they used the genuine concerns of the people to fight their own narrow political battles”.

Malatsi said the protests were nothing more than a diversion tactic by the ANC to draw attention away from their empty promises and corruption.

“This complaint to the IEC [lodged by the ANC against the DA] will not take away from the concrete evidence the DA and the city of Johannesburg has uncovered regarding the ANC’s hand in the violent protests in DA-led municipalities. We have evidence that ANC officials were behind Alexandra shutdown and have subsequently lodged a complaint with the IEC. This is further strengthened by the fact that mayor Herman Mashaba has established that the protests, were in part, led by the ANC ward councillor.”

Maimane will provide the outcome to the meeting shortly after.

(Compiled by Gopolang Chawane)

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