President Cyril Ramaphosa Defends the IEC During Zuma Court Case Saga

• President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed how proud he was of the Independent Electoral Commission
• He spoke after the Supreme Court of Appeal's Electoral Court dismissed the IEC's decision to prevent former president Jacob Zuma from being a candidate for Parliament
• South Africans debated its independence: some believed that the Commission was compromised

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG—President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the Independent Electoral Commission, saying it must defend itself during its legal battle with the MK Party. The Commission earlier revealed that former president Jacob Zuma could not campaign as the MK Party's presidential candidate and has been battling Zuma and the MKP in court.

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Ramaphosa speaks highly of the IEC

TimesLIVE said Ramaphosa spoke over the weekend while campaigning for the African National Congress. He praised the IEC and said it has done excellent work over the years. He added that it also considered matters objectively in its case against Zuma. He slammed allegations that the Commission was venturing into politics and asserted its independence.

What you need to know about the IEC vs MKP saga

• The MK Party appealed the IEC's decision to ban Msholozi from being on its candidate list for the National Assembly
• It won its case after the Supreme Court of Appeal's Electoral Court dismissed the IEC's ban on Zuma
• The IEC confirmed that it has taken further steps and will request that the Electoral Court give reasons for overturning its ban

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South Africans on different sides

Here are some of the reactions from South Africans on Facebook.

Khulekani Kahongoza said:

"It is disingenuous for people to call into question the action of the IEC. Not so long ago, people celebrated when the IEC defended and won the case of registering the MKP."

Pangela Emabalabala said:

"The IEC has been proven not to be independent. One of Ramaphosa's former advisors and former ANC MP is a commissioner of the IEC. So how do you defend that?"

Unathi Unathi said:

"It's not an independent institution anymore. After recent developments, even a grade one learner would agree with me."

Sefako Mofokeng said:

"The IEC is the ANC."

Phutinephta Sepuru said:

"They are scared of JZ and are trying to distract him."

Jacob Zuma takes a swipe at the IEC

Similarly, Briefly News reported that Msholozi criticised the IEC. Msholozi accused it of politicking.

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He called on them to focus more on elections than on who the president of the country should be.

Source: Briefly News