The DA opposes the decision by the IEC to reopen candidate registration.
It has briefed its lawyers to explore all available legal avenues to oppose it.
The IEC announced that voter’s registration will open on the weekend of September 18 to 19 September.
Also read: IEC re-opens voting registration
In addition they also announced that it is reasonably necessary to reopen candidate registration.
The DA opposed this by saying that the Constitutional Court’s judgement underscored the importance of a voter registration period.
It did not grant a 5-day delay period as a window to re-open candidate registration.
The ANC missed the deadline given to all parties to register candidates by 23 August in 93 municipalities.
By allowing the party to register its candidates it offers it an advantage that was not previously granted to other parties.
The IEC denied parties like the NFP in 2016 and the IFP in 2011 from registering their candidates after they missed the registration deadline in the respective years.
The ANC did appeal to the Electoral Court to have the candidate registration deadline lifted.
But later withdrew the appeal.
The DA suspects that this was the ANC’s “fallback position” and that party “precluded the ConCourt’s judgement”.
It further describes the IEC’s decision to re-open candidate registration as “State capture by the ANC of state institutions”.
It will not back down and accuses the IEC and the ANC of manipulating the Constitution and the electoral process.



