In 2024 the MK Party was one of the leading parties that raised multiple objections with the IEC over alleged discrepancies with that year's national elections.
Objections to electoral outcomes and processes form part of the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) Section 65 rules, with the IEC saying political parties have until 5 pm Friday, November 6 to do so.
According to the IEC, an interested party must ensure that any late objection is accompanied by a substantive application for condonation, or else the late objection may not be considered by the Commission.
The Section 65 objection comes into operation when any aspect of the voting or counting proceedings provided for in Chapter 5 or Chapter 6 of the Act, respectively, are though to have been violated:
In simple terms, a Section 65 objection is a formal complaint you can make to the Electoral Commission (IEC) if you see cheating, unfairness, or disruptions during an election. You can launch this objection if you notice any of these three things happening:
The Commission reports that a section 65 objection would be considered to be material to the results of an election if, in the event that the objection is upheld, it would change the results of an election in the affected voting station, ward or municipality.
By Friday, November 6, the commission had received more than 800 complaints from political contestants, with about 106 still outstanding as of Thursday evening, deputy CEO Masego Sheburi said. Most complaints relate to allegations that party agents were prevented from observing voting and counting processes.
To ensure transparency, the Commission allows any interested party, including members of the public, independent candidates and political parties, to lodge objections material to the result of an election, concerning any of the already mentioned circumstances.
Earlier on Friday, IEC's KwaZulu-Natal provincial electoral officer Ntombifuthi Masinga stated that in adherence to the Section 65 rules, the IEC has urged all interested parties to submit objections grounded in substantial evidence.
"At this stage, there was only one objection that has been raised in KZN, and it originates in the Abaqulusi Municipality. Usually, this is the day when they start streaming in," she said.
Sheburi said the commission is investigating several complaints which centre around allegations that party agents were barred from observing voting and counting processes.
How to lodge an objection
A Section 65 Objection must be lodged at the Commission’s National Office at Riverside Office Park, Centurion, or via email at [email protected], or hand-delivered to Legal Services at the Results Operations Centre, and must contain, among other details, the following information:
(a) a reference to the election concerned and the relevant section of the Act in terms of which the objection is brought;
(b) the full name and physical address of the objecting party;
(c) the telephone number and email address whereby the objecting party can be contacted;
(d) the interest of the objecting party in the matter;
(e) name and contact details of the party agent present at the affected voting station;
(f) details of the objection and the aspect of the election concerned;
(i) supporting documents in relation to the objection.