Electoral Court says it found no truth to claims that IEC’s Janet Love showed bias against Zuma
The MK Party has been calling for commissioner’s head, accusing her of bias after she made comments during a media briefing that the former president was not eligible to stand for elections due to his criminal record.
Former President Jacob Zuma at the Shekainah Healing Ministries Prophetic Pillowcase service in Phillipi, near Cape Town, on March 10, 2024. Picture: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / AFP
JOHANNESBURG - The Electoral Court said it found no truth to claims that Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) commissioner Janet Love showed bias against Jacob Zuma and his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
The MK Party has been calling for Love’s head, accusing her of bias after she made comments during a media briefing that the former president was not eligible to stand for elections due to his criminal record.
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But the court dismissed the claims in its full judgment published on Friday.
It was part of the judgment into why it ordered the IEC to set aside its disqualification of the former president to run for a seat in the National Assembly in the upcoming general elections.
The MK Party made a number of arguments during its appeal of the IEC’s decision to disqualify Zuma from running in the 29 May elections.
It said the IEC sent the objection notice to the wrong email address and that Love was biased.
The party also argued that Section 47 one (E) does not apply to Zuma after his 15-month prison sentence was remitted after three months.
Under the section, any person sentenced to more than 12-months in prison without the option of a fine is not eligible to stand for a seat in the National Assembly.
All these reasons were rejected by the Electoral Court.
Judge Dumisani Zondi said Love’s comments at the media briefing were a legal fact not limited to Zuma, that candidates with sentences longer than 12-months were not eligible to stand for public office.
Zondi said that there was no evidence that the commission would not be able to apply its mind fairly and without bias to determine whether Zuma fell into this category.