Durban — The political career of the once high-flying metro cop Sbu Mpisane has gotten off to a rocky start and could potentially crash even before taking off.
Mpisane’s new political outfit, Gap Fixers of South Africa, was disqualified by the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) from contesting the watershed May 29 elections.
This was after the party allegedly failed to meet the requirements set by the IEC for all contesting parties.
The new kid on the block is now holding its breath after joining the Labour Party’s last-ditch ill-fated court bid to have the elections postponed.
The matter will be heard on Wednesday at the Constitutional Court.
In an interview with the Daily News, Mpisane took a swipe at the IEC, accusing it of being unfair towards small parties. “Our bone of contention arises … their system failed them, and that puts us in an unfair position of disqualifying us, thus violating Section 19 of the Constitution.”
His party could not register due to “technical glitches” on the IEC’s side. Initially, the IEC told new parties they needed at least 1000 signatures to be registered to contest the elections at national and provincial level, he said.
When his party achieved its target, the IEC upped the requirement to 14000 signatures, he said. He accused the IEC of a deliberate ploy to bar smaller parties from contesting the polls.
For the IEC to keep on changing the requirements was detrimental to new small parties.
“IEC did not uphold its position to be free and fair,” he said.
Mpisane was announced as the party’s national chairperson when it was unveiled in January.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said the commission has been fair to all political parties.
Despite hitting the snag, Mpisane vowed that Gap Fixers of SA party will fight tooth and nail to be on the ballot. With just less than 23 days to go before the polls, the likelihood of the court bid yielding a positive result for Mpisane’s party is slim.
Mpisane – widely known for his previous flamboyant and flashy lifestyle with his then-wife Shauwn Mkhize – announced earlier this year that he would be throwing his weight behind the Gap Fixers of SA.
The ex-couple, now locked in an acrimonious divorce settlement, was once a generous benefactor of the ANC.
Mpisane is also a former football executive, having owned the Royal Eagles FC.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court will on Friday hear the IEC’s challenge over the eligibility of former president Jacob Zuma to serve in the National Assembly should uMkhonto weSizwe Party garner enough votes.
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Daily News