No independent candidates in N Cape, Mpumalanga, and N West elections – SABC News

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, and North West are the only provinces where independent candidates are not contesting in the general elections. This follows the amendment of the Electoral Act, which now allows independents to participate in the National and Provincial Elections.

The change in legislation was prompted by a successful Constitutional Court challenge in June 2020, which required Parliament to address a defect in the Act. Previously, the law mandated that an adult citizen who wanted to be elected to the Assembly or Provincial Legislature could only attain a seat through party membership.

In these three provinces, all seats are contested solely by political parties. The IEC confirmed that there are no independent candidates on the Regional or Provincial Ballots. Independent candidates can only participate through these two ballots alongside political parties. The National Compensatory Ballot remains reserved exclusively for political parties.

In the Northern Cape, 24 parties are contesting the provincial elections, and 30 are on the Regional Ballot. Mpumalanga sees 33 parties on the Regional Ballot and 27 contesting for provincial legislature seats. In the North West, 34 parties are running for National Assembly seats through the Regional Ballot, and 28 are contesting provincially.

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