AN Did Not Get Special Treatment From The IEC, Says Jessie Duarte

ANC deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte has clarified why the governing party made an about-turn on its application to the Electoral Court to ask for more time to field candidates.

Addressing the media on the outcomes of ANC lekgotla, Duarte said the party had withdrawn its application against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after it realised the commission could not be blamed for the ANC’s failure to register its candidates on time for the local government elections.

“The reason we withdrew our legal case was because we sat down and we went through [the lists] manually, one at a time, to see what happened. It was the only way we could say whatever happens we cannot blame the IEC systems because we made mistakes. We do know in two instances when we were late,” she said.

Duarte also rejected claims that the ANC received preferential treatment from the electoral commission, saying