The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is preparing to lodge a formal complaint against the Electoral Commission (IEC) over incidents that took place during special voting and on Election Day on Wednesday.
That was the warning from the party’s deputy president, Duduzane Zuma, who spoke to Africa Daily at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand on Wednesday night as counting got under way across the country.
Asked whether the MK Party had concerns about the process and whether it intended to act, Zuma did not hesitate.
“Yeah, we’re preparing that,” he said.
He pointed to a press conference held in eThekwini where MK Party members raised concerns about voters’ rolls that allegedly included deceased people.
“If you look at yesterday, there was a press conference that was held in the city of eThekwini where there was part of the MKP raising the fact that there were some voters’ rolls that picked up that there were some deceased people on the voters’ roll and how they made it onto the voters’ roll and that sort of thing,” Zuma said.
“So we are collating this information, we’ll get it into evidentiary form, and we’ll definitely submit what we’ve come up with.”
While the Commission has insisted that voting progressed well despite isolated incidents, the MK Party is signalling that it will not accept the outcome without a fight over the process.
Zuma was clear that the party had learned from the past.
“So whatever we find, we’re definitely going to submit because we don’t want a situation that we had the last time where after the fact there’s nothing we can do,” he said.
Zuma was referring to the party’s court bid to set aside the 2024 election results after it accused the IEC of rigging the elections.
The complaint will place fresh pressure on the IEC, which is already facing scrutiny over stolen ballot papers and a stolen validation stamp in Ward 2 in eThekwini, and the removal of staff for dereliction of duty at the affected voting station.
But Zuma insisted the MK Party is not approaching the results from a position of weakness.
He said the party had done its work on the ground and is confident the numbers will reflect that.
“I think we’ve done great,” he said. “I was on the ground in KZN before I came here and very vibrant. I was getting feedback from the guys on the ground here in Gauteng and other parts, Eastern Cape, Limpopo. And what we prepared for went according to plan.”
“So we’re positive. The results, I’m sure, will speak for themselves.”
That confidence extends to the party’s ambition for an outright victory. Zuma said the MK Party is not entertaining coalition talks at this stage because it is aiming for a majority.
“When it comes to coalitions, you know, it’s something that we’re not entertaining in our minds right now. We’re going out for the all-out victory. We’ve gone in for the kill, and that’s what we expect, a majority,” he said.
“When we speak about two-thirds majority, we’re not just saying it as a slogan or as an idea. We mean it.”
But he left the door open to negotiations if the results do not deliver that majority. The party, he said, is prepared for all outcomes.
“We’re human beings and, you know, we always plan for rainy days. So if the time comes that these conversations have to happen, we’re more than ready, more than prepared,” Zuma said.
“But people need to realise that there’s a big dog in the room. It’s not going to be a conversation that they think it’s going to be. You know, let’s respect each other. And once again, our standpoint, our policy is we speak to people that are like-minded, progressive in nature, and share the same values.”
Zuma also addressed questions about his father, party leader Jacob Zuma, and his health after weeks of speculation about his condition.
He rejected suggestions that the former president is unable to lead the party into the 2029 general elections.
“We’re not going to sit here and say there’s some divine intervention. There is a man who’s put in a lot of work and he’s carried this organisation on his back. And it’s for us to push it forward. And that’s what we do in the buildup to 2029,” he said.
“I’ve had a relationship with him over the years. I’m able to reassure. I spend a lot of time with him. I spent a lot of time with him, you know, and it wasn’t anything that people just were writing him off, you know. He’s, it’s no secret he’s an elderly man. He needs to go for his checkups, you know. At that age, these things take time. It’s a process. And I was with him every step of the way.”
“My reassurance to the people is switch on your TVs, go onto social media, you’ll see he’s doing the damn thing. He’s doing the jive. He’s talking the talk and he’s walking the walk,” Zuma said.