REFILWE MEKOA
ANC in the Free State will gain approximately 70 000 votes from registered members of the Dikwankwetla Party of South Africa (DPSA).
Dikwankwetla’s leader, Moeketsi Lebesa, confirmed to Courant that they will be voting for the ANC next Wednesday after both parties had formed an electoral pact earlier this year. Lebesa acknowledged that the main reason for not appearing on the provincial ballot paper is because the electoral act doesn’t allow both parties to divide their votes after the elections.
He disputed allegations that his party couldn’t afford the standard fee to appear on a ballot paper. DPSA currently has eleven seats at the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality council and will be participating independently in the next municipal elections. Lebesa couldn’t comment on how they would benefit from the pact they had formed with the ANC.
According to the IEC’s provincial head Chris Mepha, there are certain procedures that need to be assessed for a political party to appear on a ballot paper.
“When we started signing the IEC code of conduct on the 7th of March, we had 12 political parties that were supposed to sign. Amongst those who signed the code of conduct was the Dikwankwetla Party of South Africa, which couldn’t meet the deposit of R600 000. This party was removed from the ballot paper. Another reason for a party to get disqualified is when a person appearing on a candidate list is not registered to vote. Additional political parties that will appear on the final provincial ballot paper are the Patriotic Alliance, People’s Alliance and the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa, which weren’t there when the code of conduct was signed,” said Mepha.
