SEKHUKHUNE
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Sekhukhune Region has called for an independent investigation into the alleged irregular transfer of their councillor candidate’s voter registration in Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) Ward 35, ahead of the Local Government Election on 4 November 2026.
The party claims that the voter registration of their candidate, Motjepe Nchabeleng, was changed from Taumankotsana voting station in FTLM Ward 35 to a voting district in Tshwane, shortly before the IEC registration deadline, a move that potentially affected his eligibility to stand as a councillor.
According to the SACP, the matter has been reported to the police and is currently under investigation. The party says it has also obtained IEC documentation detailing the sequence of events leading to the change.
SACP Communications Representative in FTLM, Malekate Maditsi, says there are serious unanswered questions about how the change occurred.
“There are serious questions about how this change happened, who initiated it, and whether it ultimately affected Motjepe’s candidacy,” Maditsi said.
Maditsi described the matter as one of public interest that goes beyond party politics.
“This is a matter of public interest because it concerns the integrity of the voters’ roll and the right of citizens to participate freely in the electoral process. We are asking for this story to be investigated independently,” he added.
Maditsi says the party is prepared to provide IEC documentation to the police for investigations so that the perpetrator would be brought to book.
He said they are disappointed that the actions could affect SACP performance in Sekhukhune.
The IEC had not yet commented on the specific case at the time of publishing. The Electoral Commission has also previously stated that any change of voting district requires verification via ID and that the voters’ roll is audited for irregular transfers ahead of elections.
The police in Sekhukhune confirmed that a case has been opened and is under investigation.
The party says it wants the facts to be brought into the public domain to protect the integrity of the democratic process in FTLM Ward 35.