MK Deputy President remains optimistic about electoral prospects

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party Deputy President Duduzane Zuma says the party remains optimistic about its electoral prospects, despite continuing to dispute the outcome of the 2024 General Elections, which it claims were not free and fair.

The party has repeatedly alleged that a two-hour blackout of the national results leaderboard created an opportunity for vote rigging and manipulation, costing it thousands of votes.

Zuma has also condemned reports of ballot box tampering and the theft of election materials in parts of the country. He says any interference with the electoral process, including by party members, will not be tolerated as vote counting gets underway.

“I think on election day and in the lead-up to election day, even with the special votes, there are always reports of missing boxes and ballots popping up all over the place. I think that’s common cause. It happens, whether it’s staged or not.

“We don’t deal with that much. What we see, we report, and we try to verify it as best we can. But we were happy the last time when the results screens were still on zero. We’re still happy now. I think the jury is still out. Once we see the numbers ticking, we’ll have a better sense of it.”

Zuma says that what he is hoping for is a seamless process with no interruptions. “I think that speaks volumes about whether the elections are free and fair. If there are no interruptions, there will be nothing to complain about.

“When it comes to tampering of any sort, whether it’s by MK Party members or members of other organisations, these matters need to be looked into. We will not tolerate or accept any shortcuts, corruption, or interference with information. And definitely not interference with ballot boxes and votes,,” he explains.