Electoral Court postpones 10 more by-elections due to Level 3 restrictions

Another 10 by-elections, scheduled to take place in March, have been postponed by the Electoral Court.

The Electoral Court authorised the postponement of by-elections due to adjusted Level 3 lockdown restrictions, which prohibit political activities, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said in a statement.

“The Electoral Commission approached the Electoral Court for approval to extend the period within which the by-elections scheduled to be held on 3 March 2021 and 31 March 2021, to a date not beyond 120 days from the date of the court order,” the statement said.

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Eastern Cape wards affected by the postponement are:

Ward 17 in Intsika Yethu Municipality;

Ward 9 in Port St Johns;

Ward 43 in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality; and

Ward 17 in Nelson Mandela Bay.

In KwaZulu-Natal, ward 14 in uPhongolo and wards 15, 22 and 30 in uMhlathuze will be affected.

The by-elections scheduled for ward 22 in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, and ward 23 in Mogalakwena, Limpopo, will also be postponed.

On 11 January, the commission announced that 14 ward by-elections in 10 municipalities would be postponed. The latest postponements brings the number of ward by-elections delayed this year to 24.

“All these by-elections have now been rescheduled for 19 May 2021,” the statement said.

News24

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