PRETORIA, Gauteng — The Electoral Court has officially dismissed the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) 2024 election challenge, bringing a legal close to the political faction’s dispute over the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) vote-counting system. Following the ruling, the party maintained its refusal to accept the official election outcome, citing widespread irregularities.
Sifiso Mahlangu, the MK Party’s national spokesperson, addressed the media following the court’s decision, framing the legal battle as a “David and Goliath situation.” He stated that the party had been seeking justice for the millions of citizens who cast their ballots, alleging that their votes were ultimately disregarded.
Mahlangu made severe allegations regarding the handling of physical ballots, claiming that votes were “dumped” and not counted. He asserted that ballots were discovered in the boots of cars and in various toilets across the country. According to the spokesperson, these claims were thoroughly compiled into the party’s court papers and corroborated by IT experts from leading South African brands, alongside video evidence of the events surrounding the 2024 elections.
The core of the MK Party’s technical argument centered on the IEC’s results dashboard. Mahlangu highlighted what he described as the overarching piece of evidence: the data dashboard disappearing from the screen for just over two hours. He alleged that the numerical figures displayed before the screen went blank did not match the numbers that reappeared once the system was restored.
Based on these discrepancies, the MK Party argued in their court papers that they were owed approximately 900,000 votes. Mahlangu rejected the official results that positioned the MK Party as the third-largest political party in South Africa, insisting instead that they were actually in contention for the second position, or potentially the largest party in the country.
Addressing the IEC’s defense, Mahlangu noted that the commission argued against the MK Party’s claims. He alleged that the IEC visited President Zuma to express concerns that their institutional reputation was taking a knock, noting that those were the IEC’s own words.
Ultimately, the Electoral Court ruled in favor of the IEC, validating the commission’s handling of the election. Despite the legal dismissal, Mahlangu concluded the press statement by firmly maintaining that the party was robbed of their victory and asserted that the IEC is fully aware of the truth.
