Election fraud case lodged, party demands all Western Cape votes be recounted

A former rugby boss has laid an election fraud charge after claiming the candidate he voted for was wrongly recorded as receiving zero votes, while a political party demands a Western Cape-wide recount

Controversial ex-rugby boss Zelt Marais has opened a case of election fraud after claiming the candidate he voted for was wrongly recorded as receiving zero votes.

Marais said he opened the case against the IEC at Claremont police station on Friday night over the counting of votes in Cape Town's Ward 60.

The Truth and Solidarity Movement, or TRUTH, has also demanded a recount across the Western Cape, saying it could no longer trust the election results after the incident.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel FC van Wyk confirmed a case had been opened.

"This case docket will be transferred to Lansdowne [police station] for further investigation," Van Wyk said. 

Marais, the former president of the Western Province Rugby Football Union, is serving a 10-year ban from all rugby activities imposed by SA Rugby for breaching its code of conduct.

Marais questioned how independent ward candidate Mogamat Rashard Davids could have received zero votes when he had voted for him at Savio Hall in Lansdowne on Wednesday.

The official count forms, signed by counting officer June Franco, show a line through Davids' name and a zero in the box for his vote tally.

On the IEC's live results dashboard, with 89% of the voting district counted, the DA led at Savio Hall with 1,434 votes (53.89%), followed by Al Jama-ah with 467 (17.55%), GOOD with 278 (10.45%) and the ANC with 7.67%.

In a sworn affidavit submitted to police, Marais said he was perturbed.

“Having regard to the election results and information subsequently available, I have reason to be concerned that my vote may not have been properly recorded, included or counted in the final results declared for the relevant voting station,” Marais said in the affidavit seen by IOL.

“I cannot, without access to the official voting and counting records, independently establish whether my vote was omitted or incorrectly recorded.

Nevertheless, my concern warrants investigation by the Independent Electoral Commission.”

Marais asked the IEC to investigate how votes were cast and counted at Savio Hall, compare the number of ballot papers issued with the number placed in the ballot boxes, and check the original result slips and reconciliation records.

He also asked the commission to preserve all voting station records and election materials until the complaint had been resolved.

TRUTH leader Mehmet Vefa Dag also lodged a formal objection with provincial and national IEC officials, demanding an immediate recount under the party's observation.

“Every South African voter has the right to have their vote counted correctly,” Dag stated in the objection.

“We therefore believe that the election results must be properly checked before they are accepted as final.”

Dag called on the IEC to check whether the results on its electronic system matched the original result slips signed at voting and counting stations.

“An election cannot enjoy public confidence simply because results have been announced,” Dag added.

“The results must also be capable of being independently checked and verified. TRUTH is not asking for special treatment or any unfair advantage.

"We are asking for the same fairness, transparency and accountability that every political organisation and every voter deserves.”