ANC attempts to capture overseas elections

Please find attached a soundbite by Emma Powell MP

The African National Congress (ANC), on Thursday 30 April 2024, summoned civil servants of the South African Foreign Service to a party-political meeting, to instruct these officials to assist with ANC’s “voter mobilization strategy” abroad.

Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Consul Generals and Attachés – all of which have been summoned to this ANC vote rigging meeting – are remunerated by the South African tax-payer and are expected to provide services to all citizens living abroad, regardless of their political affiliation.

These are the same taxpayer funded officials that have been mandated to manage voting abroad on 17 and 18 May 2024.

Diplomats abroad are expected to be apolitical whilst on deployment, and to represent their Country not the political interests of a dying, former, liberation movement such as the ANC.

Once again, by capitalizing on their illegal policy of cadre deployment, the ANC is attempting to use public funds to further their party-political objectives.

In doing so, the ANC have exposed their sinister ploy to not only capture the public service in order to influence the outcome of the election, but to directly interfere with the mandate of civil servants charged with ensuring a free and fair election abroad.

By using civil servants – whose salaries, residences and expenses are paid for by the South African taxpayer – the ANC has once again demonstrated that their party-political interests come first before those of the people.

This is nothing short of criminal.

The DA will be requesting an urgent meeting with the Commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to insist that any South African diplomats who attended the meeting of 30 April 2024, be immediately sanctioned from any further involvement with elections abroad.

Should the IEC not accede to this request, the DA will approach the courts to ensure that diplomats who attended this ANC meeting are barred from overseeing elections at their respective missions, due to take place at 115 locations across the globe, in less than 3 weeks.

The DA will not allow the votes of 78 000 South Africans abroad to be compromised by a party determined to cling onto power at all costs.