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Newly appointed Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Vuma Mashinini says there should be no concerns about his independence, even though he once served as President Jacob Zuma’s adviser.
Mashinini told City Press this week that he was, in fact, proud to have worked for Zuma, emphasising that “everyone comes from somewhere”.
That included previous commissioners who worked for the IEC who had ties to political parties, he said.
“I’m not sure that having served a head of state for two years in his capacity as head of state, and not as the head of a political party, would give me a professional obligation to stand down.
“What’s important is that when you are assigned to a particular task, can you dispense your duties as required by the Constitution?” he said a day after he was announced as the new IEC boss.
Political parties have raised concerns about his impartiality.
Mashinini replaces Pansy Tlakula, who was forced to resign last September because of her involvement in a controversial lease deal.
But Mashinini believes the scrutiny he is facing from opposition parties and the public is valid because “we live in a democracy”.
“In fact, our history as an institution is littered with many other commissioners that one way or the other were associated with political parties. Some of them even served as members of Parliament. Others served as leaders of political parties.”
He gave the example of founding commissioner and former vice-chairperson of the IEC Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, who carried out his duties despite his former links to the Pan Africanist Congress. Raenette Taljaard, who resigned as IEC commissioner this year, was once a DA member of Parliament.
“The list goes on. They were able to understand that they were no longer in that political role. So I want South Africans to understand that I’m a professional.”
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, whose complaint to the Public Protector led to Tlakula’s downfall, said he was seriously worried about the ANC deploying its cadres to sensitive institutions.
“We can’t take his word. He will take orders from his masters,” he said. “People who were there before were tried and tested. We don’t know this gentleman; where does he come from? The people in his position before had never worked closely with the president,” he said.
Having worked at the IEC before, Mashinini said he had what it took to steer the ship during local government elections a few months from now.
Asked how he planned to earn trust and clean up the image of the IEC, Mashinini said it would need collaboration, with all commissioners engaging with political parties and civil society.
He was hoping for smooth sailing as the IEC prepared for next year’s election, but added that there was no guarantee that the Municipal Demarcation Board – which was in the process of determining boundaries – would not affect the commission’s election timetable.
He said the board would give the commission a clear update by the end of November.
Mashinini dismissed fears of possible vote-rigging, suggesting people had insufficient understanding of the country’s electoral system.
“Those who are suspicious are partly informed by an insufficient understanding of our electoral process. If you understood it, you’d know that no commissioner or IEC team could actually rig South African elections.”
Mashinini said the process was elaborate and involved party agents at voting stations.
"I think it’s important that we don’t tarnish the IEC’s reputation. We should be proud of this institution. In fact, it’s a pre-eminent electoral institution by any world standards."
