ACTIONSA has lodged an appeal against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after its registration as a political party to contest the election was dismissed.
The IEC, in dismissing ActionSA’s registration, said former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s colours were similar to that of another party and that the party’s logo had the national flag, which it argued was not permitted.
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Mashaba said they have lodged appeal papers and the case will now be heard by IEC commissioners.
“The ActionSA legal team has produced a compelling submission which we are confident will convince the commissioners of the IEC that the decision taken to reject our application was incorrect.
“Our appeal focuses on the fact that alleged similarities between ActionSA and this other party in question are patently insufficient to meet the prescribed legal threshold of confusing voters.
“This included a professional marketing analysis of the logos from one of South Africa’s leading advertising agencies,” said Mashaba.
He said the party has since discovered that the party the IEC alleged they are similar to has not met requirements of renewing their registration and should have been deregistered after not contesting the 2019 elections. Therefore, Mashaba said his party could not be confused with a party that does not contest elections.
Mashaba said the country has 600 political parties simply because parties that don’t contest elections were not being deregistered.
He said he had full confidence in the commissioners of the commission and that they will see reason, consider its appeal and register the party.
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Mashaba said the work of the party to grow it in four corners of the country has not stopped since the registration was dismissed.
The party has been busy on the ground meeting communities and swelling its ranks in the quest to present a real alternative to the ANC.
“The submission of this appeal is of great importance. It relates to how the IEC, as the essential Chapter 9 Institution entrusted to safeguard our electoral democracy, exercises its powers in our political system.
“The IEC has registered many political parties with significant similarities, like the ANC and AIC, and parties whose logos draw heavily on the South African flag. The IEC’s decision making in this matter should be of great concern, given the need for rational and consistent decision making to protect our democracy,” he said.
