Police confirm an inquiry into the MK party’s ‘forged’ signatures. Image: SABC News
Police launch inquiry into alleged forgery of signatures by MK party
Police commissioner Masemola stated that an inquiry is at a preliminary stage and that evidence is currently being assessed.
Police confirm an inquiry into the MK party’s ‘forged’ signatures. Image: SABC News
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that an inquiry has been initiated to investigate the alleged forgery of signatures on the MK party’s list submitted to the IEC.
Inquiry opened against MK Party
Masemola stated, “An inquiry has been initiated at the Cape Town central police station. It is currently in its initial stage.
“We are still trying to verify if there’s really a case. If there’s a case, we’ll transfer the matter to the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] for a decision.”
This development follows allegations made by Lennox Ntsodo, a former senior party official, who claimed that forged signatures were used to secure the party’s registration for the 2024 ballot.
In his statement, Ntsodo claimed that he and his team spent approximately two weeks at the MK party’s secretary-general residence in Pinelands, Cape Town, compiling the forged lists.
The secretary-general, Ebrahim Moosa, is a former South African ambassador to Qatar. According to Ntsodo, he reported the team’s daily progress to Moosa and Fumanekile “Fatty” Booi, the Western Cape chairperson of the party.
According to The Citizen, IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela acknowledged media inquiries and reports alleging that the party had submitted fraudulent signatures to meet the candidate nomination requirements.
She confirmed that a criminal complaint had been lodged with the police regarding this matter.
“The commission calls on crime investigation authorities to expedite the investigations to establish the verity of the allegations. An expeditious investigation is essential for the conduct of free and fair elections.
How to avoid being deceived: Clarification on special voting for people over 60
A recent viral message on social media falsely stated that the IEC allows individuals aged 60 and above to vote before the 29 May elections by applying for a particular vote.
Despite the temptation to avoid queues, don’t be misled. The IEC clarified that this message did not originate from them and urged caution against election misinformation.
Here are some tips to avoid falling for such misinformation.
As the elections approach, there’s a surge in misinformation, disinformation, and fake news as specific individuals aim to sow confusion regarding the voting process.
According to the Daily Maverick, a misleading message has been circulating on WhatsApp, falsely advising voters aged 60 and above to apply for a special vote to cast their ballots before the election day on 29 May.
The message incorrectly stated that the Electoral Commission of South Africa had granted registered voters in this age group the option to vote early.
The misleading message read: “Important for everyone over 60. Voting day is 29 May. If you want to avoid long queues and parking problems: The IEC has given permission for everyone over 60 to vote on the 27 and 28 at the polling station where you are registered. Just text (SMS) your ID no to 32249.”
But the message is categorically untrue, and was not disseminated by the commission, the IEC confirmed on Monday.
