Acting North West MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Paul Sebegoe, says it is all systems go for the upcoming elections of traditional councils in early July this year.
MEC Sebegoe said this today at an event to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) which will see the IEC assisting the department with the running of the elections of 52 traditional councils in the Province in line with the Traditional Leadership and Governance Act of 2005. The Act provides for the establishment of traditional councils in traditional communities for a term of five years.
“The election process is a cornerstone of our democracy and we are confident that the IEC has the necessary capacity to manage the elections. They have a clear mandate of entrenching the principles of free and fair elections on behalf of other institutions. We hope this election will bring back stability in our traditional communities especially in those communities where there have been constant conflicts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the IEC will be responsible for drawing up an election time-table, creation of the voters roll, administration of the candidate nomination process as well as the actual elections. It will also be responsible for managing all objections raised at the voting stations during the voting process, if any whereas the department will be responsible for any other disputes that may arise in the build up and post elections, including the establishment of an election tribunal.
Contact person:
Dineo Lolokwane
Cell: 072 542 8444
