Nothing sinister about meeting with US ambassador, says IEC
The IEC has come under sharp scrutiny after it emerged that some of its commissioners sat down with US Ambassador Reuben Brigety at the start of the week.
Picture: Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Electoral Commission (IEC) said there’s nothing sinister about its meeting with US Ambassador Reuben Brigety ahead of the elections.
The IEC has come under sharp scrutiny after it emerged that some of its commissioners sat down with Brigety at the start of the week.
The meeting fuelled concerns that the global superpower would interfere with South Africa’s electoral processes, compromising the country’s sovereignty.
Though the exact details of the meeting are unclear, the IEC said that it was important to take diplomats into their confidence about the country’s readiness for the 29 May polls.
The IEC's chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo, said that the US had again distanced itself from the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s calls for the country to oversee South Africa's elections.
"The American delegation that they have a lot of confidence in the IEC – they consider the IEC one of the best election bodies in the world. They reaffirmed their position that, in their view, they won’t be sending any observer groups because they believe that the South African IEC will deliver free and fair elections."