Candidates anxious as vetting drags
Mqondisi Dube | Friday July 10, 2020 13:16
The process could see some candidates axed if they do not meet the criteria. The contesting teams are all undergoing scrutiny, with the committee requesting for further information on the candidates this week.
The Electoral Code prescribes that candidates should be examined within 10 days after submitting their applications.
Nominations closed on June 19, and three weeks later, the vetting process has not been concluded.
The Electoral Committee board chairperson, Moemedi Letina admitted the process was not as easy as envisaged.
“It is difficult to conclude. We have to verify all the information the candidates submit. Just this week, we sent out a circular requesting for further information. The candidates are still submitting,” Letina said.
“You need to look at the application closely, when you talk about integrity, you talk about a lot of things. I have no date as to when we will conclude.”
This week the board asked the applicants to submit an affidavit, together with other supporting documents, to prove their football activity in any BFA structure.
The required information included minutes of appointments. One of the contestants argued some requirements might disadvantage candidates from smaller teams.
“They need three affidavits, one from the candidate, another from the structure and or club, and minutes evidencing your appointment. So for smaller clubs with no offices, their people can't stand because they will have no minutes or records properly filed,” said the member.
Another member warned against ‘introducing new rules’.
“We don’t have control over what is happening. The basic principle of fair play is that you don’t introduce new rules during a match,” a concerned member said.
There are concerns over delays in concluding the vetting process, as election day draws closer.
Candidates should be afforded sufficient time to protest, in the event of those vetted out.
Letina, however, said the election date remains August 8, and indicated, thus far, there has been no candidature, rejected.