The newly formed Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has appealed to the Electoral Tribunal seeking an order to declare the 2024 general elections invalid as they were not free and fair.
The party is also seeking a court order directing the president to call new elections.
The party, which was not present at the first session of the National Assembly, is now the third largest party in the country.
In its filing, the party argues that MK “would almost certainly have won” if the elections had been free and fair. According to an affidavit by the party's national organizer, Nathi Nhleko, the party had already seriously challenged the legitimacy of the May elections, based on what it called “serious voting irregularities,” before the 2024 results were announced.
To back up its claims, the party included an analysis in its paper that said it could not explain more than nine million voter discrepancies.
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Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has also filed papers with the Electoral Tribunal, asking the specialised court to annul the May 29 election and order a fresh election.
The party claimed in the document that it was “the victim of miscalculation, vote rigging and corruption,” adding that it put forward arguments to prove the election was not free and fair.
This comes despite the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declaring on June 2 that the 2024 general elections will be free and fair.
In its letter, ATM cited several reasons in support of its complaint, including the voters' register, Section 24A and failure of the Voter Management Device (VMD).
The party believes there are sufficient grounds for the court to cancel the 2024 national and state elections and order new elections.
Even though this latest court application was signed the day before the first session of Parliament, ATM participated in that session where elections for speaker, deputy speaker and president were held.
