In the letter from Ketlhalefile Motshegwa of the UDC, addressed to the IEC Secretary on August 8, 2024, and titled ‘Request for Information for Free, Fair and Transparent Elections’, the UDC has listed 17 demands for the IEC to address. The party is requesting comprehensive information about the entire election cycle, including details such as the total number of registration books, registration card books, and ballot paper books printed by the commission, along with their serial numbers. The coalition also wants information on the number of pages in each registration and ballot paper book, as well as the name of the company that printed them and the associated costs. Additionally, the UDC wants to know if a tender was issued for these printing services. If so, they are requesting full details of the tender process and information on where it was advertised.
The coalition has also demanded to be given the name of the current election management system, its manufacturer and from which company it was procured from and when. Furthermore, the UDC is demanding to know if the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) has access to this system, where the system is housed or located. In addition, the UDC has called for improved security of the Diaspora votes, demanding that they be kept in tamper-proof envelopes or mini-ballot boxes. “Is there any third party with access to the system, if yes who are they and why? How will the Diaspora votes be transported? Can you improve the security of those votes by using tamper-proof envelopes or mini-ballot boxes? We will for the first time seal these envelopes or boxes as the law permits,” reads the letter in part.
