Zuma making vote-rigging claim ‘to save his reputation’

Professor of politics from the University of South Africa (Unisa) Dirk Kotzé has questioned the existence of the evidence of vote rigging that Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma claims to have.

On Sunday, at a party rally in the east of Johannesburg, Zuma told his supporters that he had strong evidence against some officials who had stolen votes from the MK party and given them to other parties.

He said he would again approach the courts to declare the election results invalid.

ALSO READ: ANC’s KZN leaders could become bargains for MK party

Zuma’s vote rigging claim controversy

However, Kotzé told The Citizen on Monday that he believes there is no evidence and that Zuma is playing politics.

“Before the election, he had already told his supporters they would have a two-thirds majority. He has fallen short of that, which is a major disappointment,” he said.

Kotzé said Zuma is now facing the challenge of explaining to his supporters why the party did not perform as well as he had promised.

“To save his reputation as this person that has a majority of support from the people of South Africa, he has created this,” Kotzé said.

Zuma has been known for making accusations without proof.

Kotzé said Zuma would have produced the evidence of vote rigging if he possessed it.

“He would have revealed it, and it would have been all over the place,” he said.

‘MK party majority unlikely’

While the MK party seems to be gaining traction in different parts of the country, Kotzé said he believed it was unlikely the party will win the next general elections with a two-thirds majority.

“For the foreseeable future, it is highly unlikely,” he said.

Kotzé said the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) conducted the elections respectably and professionally.

He said there are enough checks and balances to ensure that vote rigging does not happen.

“There are international observers and various auditing processes at various levels. Even when the votes are counted, the party agents are there, including MK representatives,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IEC’s spokesperson, Kate Bapela, told The Citizen she had not been notified that Zuma had approached the court.

Zuma had first approached the court over allegations of vote rigging earlier this year, but his party withdrew the matter.

The MK party said it is willing to approach the Constitutional Court to prove its case.

ALSO READ: Zuma creating a ‘personality cult’ in his MK party