The chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mosa Chabane, has welcomed the action by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in investigating the leaking of political party candidate lists.
This comes after the commission on Monday announced that it had set up an inquiry to establish the circumstances of the unauthorised circulation of party candidate lists and the person or persons responsible.
The Commission reported that it had become aware of lists of candidates that were being circulated on social media platforms.
“Following a preliminary investigation into the allegations, the Electoral Commission can confirm that the involved employee’s contract of employment has been terminated,” it said in a statement.
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According to the IEC, the official, from one of its local offices, had rights to access the system and reports but was not authorised to distribute or circulate the information.
Chabane stressed that the integrity of the electoral process must be protected, and that the swift investigation and decision to terminate the employee’s contract demonstrates the integrity of the institution.
“We remain of the view that the IEC is a credible institution to run a free and fair process and that anything that endangers this process will be quickly investigated and concomitant action taken,” the committee chairperson said.
Beyond contravening the Protection of Personal Information Act, the unauthorised circulation of the lists undermined the set out election timetable and processes of the 2024 provincial and national elections.
Meanwhile, the chairperson has called on the IEC to strengthen its internal controls and to imprint on its staff members the need to conduct themselves ethically to protect the institution’s integrity.
Despite the leak, Chabane said the IEC’s processes remain credible and that it has a proven track record of delivering on its mandate and promoting South Africa’s democratic order.
