IEC fires ANC list leaker

THE Electoral Commission (IEC) has fired its official who leaked the ANC and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) candidates list.

The commission’s CEO Sy Mamabolo confirmed this on Tuesday, 12 March.

He said the official was given an opportunity to make representation why she should not be fired but the IEC was not convinced.

“We received representations and, on that basis, terminated the relationship of employment,” said Mamabolo on Newzroom Afrika.

The motive for the leak has not been established.

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He said the official admitted in their discussion that she used her credentials to log and download the details.

“That element has been confirmed,” he said.

Mamabolo said they were able to determine the downloads on the IEC’s local terminal and the fact that those downloads were at some point deleted.

He pointed out that the computer used is being subjected to forensic analysis and that might help to probably establish what drove the employee to commit the offence.

He revealed that the lists of other political parties were downloaded as well but not leaked to the public as it happened with the ANC and MK.

He could not say how many other parties were affected.

He said the IEC will continue with its investigation to find out the motive for leaks.

MK spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhlela told Daily Sun that the firing of the official is a clear indication that the IEC has got a lot of loopholes in their systems.

"This doesn’t augur well for an organisation that ought to be beyond reproach. It’s a serious flag leading to highly contested and sensitive elections. These kinds of activities dampen the trust in the IEC as an organisation that ought to build trust for the voter and our citizens," he said.

The ANC commended the IEC's "speedy" investigation into the unauthorised sharing of their candidate list.

Party spokeswoman Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said: "We are pleased to learn that this was not a result of a security breach, but rather the neglectful conduct of an individual. The conduct of the implicated official has jeopardised the personal details of all the individuals on our candidate list. We urge all the appropriate authorities to swiftly address this matter. The ANC reiterates our full confidence in the IEC to deliver yet another free, fair election."