The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has welcomed the judgment of the Electoral Court in the application by the ruling party to deregister uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
The commission said this judgment provides clarity and will allow it to continue with its work.
The commission was currently finalising the nomination of candidates to serve in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
It said there were thousands of candidates who have been nominated to contest seats at national and provincial levels.
“This judgment provides the necessary clarity and certainty to enable the finalisation of candidate nomination processes. Additionally, the ruling confirms that the decision to register this party was taken regularly and in terms of the law,” said the IEC.
The judgment will allow the IEC to focus on preparations for the elections.
The African National Congress (ANC) had taken the MK party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, to court to challenge its registration.
But the Electoral Court ruled against the ANC in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
This was the first round of the court battle between the ANC and MK party.
On Wednesday the two parties will be in the High Court in Durban where the ANC is challenging the use of the name and logo of MK.
The ANC has maintained that the trademark of MK belongs to it, as it was formed as its military wing more than 60 years ago.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co,za
Politics