On the 28th of March, the Electoral Commission held a media briefing at the commission’s office in Centurion, Pretoria to discuss the Commission’s Decision on objections to the candidate list for the 2024 NPE (National and Provincial Elections), as the South African elections are about to take place on the 29th of May 2024.

One of the South African Acts states that a person who has been convicted for more than a year is not allowed to be part of the parliament. As a result, former President Jacob Zuma was removed from being an MK (Umkhonto weSizwe) political party candidate, which was led by his 2021 arrest for contempt of court. The former president was given a 15-month prison penalty by the Constitutional Court.

It was confirmed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) Chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, that the former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, and the other eight who were disapproved will not appear on the ballot as candidates on the 29th of May 2024 during votes. Section 47 and 106 of the constitution set out the eligibility criteria and qualifications for the national assembly and provincial legislature respectively.

They provide that every citizen who is qualified to vote for the national assembly and provincial legislature is eligible to stand for elections except anyone who has been declared to be of unsound mind by a court of the Republic, unrehabilitated bankrupt, any person who was convicted of an offense and sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine. And this qualification ends five years after the sentence has been completed.

As the voting day is near, South Africans are kept updated on the voting timeline and on what to expect during the votes.