PRETORIA, Gauteng — With the local government elections exactly one month away, UDM election readiness in the Eastern Cape has come under intense scrutiny following the party’s failure to register all of its candidates. According to UNISA Professor of Political Sciences Dirk Kotze, this setback not only impacts the party’s historical stronghold but also highlights broader systemic challenges for smaller political factions navigating the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The Eastern Cape Heartland and Party Decline
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has long been established primarily in the Eastern Cape, which remains its political heartland and core center. The party previously expanded its reach under a former co-leader, but eventually retreated to its Eastern Cape base. Historically, the UDM maintained control of one local authority in the region for a period, though it has largely remained a small player in the local government landscape.
Today, the party is facing a general trend of decline. Kotze notes that the UDM has shrunk to an exceptionally small party, with its presence reduced to single-digit membership in several local authorities. The current candidate registration failures threaten to further damage the party in its stronghold, though Kotze suggests the UDM was not already in the pipeline for a major turnaround strategy.
Legal Challenges and the IEC’s Dual Submission System
The UDM’s specific registration issues are concentrated in the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality, while the party successfully submitted most of its candidates in the critical Buffalo City metro. Rather than fighting its own specific case in court, the UDM has largely accepted the situation. Instead, the party is acting as a friend of the court in the broader legal battle between the African National Congress (ANC) and the IEC.
Kotze points out that the UDM’s involvement establishes a vital broader principle: the IEC’s nomination challenges are not isolated to the ANC. In total, approximately 45 small parties have been affected by the registration process, though few have approached the courts.
The IEC utilized a dual submission system for this election cycle, allowing parties to submit nominations either online or directly at IEC offices. Kotze argues that this system was not designed to completely exclude parties, but rather that many organizations waited until the very last moment to submit. Comparing the situation to university students at UNISA who wait until deadlines to submit assignments, Kotze noted that last-minute rushes inevitably cause technological glitches that have a “triple effect” on the outcome. The primary lesson for political parties, he advises, is to avoid last-minute submissions.
Logistical Pressures on the IEC
The ongoing legal challenges are placing immense logistical pressure on the IEC as it prepares for the upcoming polls. The IEC argues that reopening nomination processes would put it in a highly precarious situation, primarily due to the need to print millions of ballot papers.
In the specific case of the ANC, a court ruling in their favor would affect six local authorities. However, Kotze clarifies that this would primarily impact the proportional representation (PR) vote ballot rather than individual ward candidates. Because the PR ballot covers the entire local authority rather than specific wards, the logistical impact is somewhat limited to reprinting ballots for those six specific municipalities.
Despite this limiting factor, the IEC is trying to avoid reopening the nomination processes at all costs to maintain its strict printing and logistical deadlines.
