IEC official fired for leaking election candidate lists

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The Independent Electoral Commission(IEC) has fired the employee responsible for leaking the election candidate lists.

This comes after unauthorised distribution of ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe Party 2024 national and provincial election candidate lists at the weekend. 

The lists of the candidates were leaked and circulated online.

The Commission announced on Monday that the internal investigation into the unauthorised circulation of candidate lists was underway to establish the circumstances of the circulation and the person responsible.

Chief electoral commission, Sy Mamabolo, confirmed that the employee’s contract has been terminated and that the said official had rights to access the system and reports but was not authorized to distribute the information.

[Media Statement] Electoral Commission terminates employment of employee responsible for unauthorised release of candidate nomination list. pic.twitter.com/sgNQIfO7C8

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) March 12, 2024

According to Mamabolo, the investigation narrowed the source of the disclosure to a workstation that had been used to generate and store reports and later, the said reports were deleted from the workstation.

He further said the motive for the unauthorised circulation will be pursued as part of the ongoing investigation.

“While this incident is regrettable, our actions demonstrate our commitment to transparency and accountability. The Electoral Commission maintains the highest level of integrity, ethics and professionalism.

“Any behaviour that violates our code of conduct or undermines the credibility of the organisation cannot be tolerated,” Mamabolo remarked.

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Mamabolo assured that the credibility of the commission is not dependent on a single factor and among measures the IEC will take to avoid similar leaks in future, he said the organisation will review and limit employee access to the commission’s reporting tools.

He added: “The Electoral Commission reiterates its regret for the unauthorised disclosure of the lists and the disclosure of personal information of candidates on those lists. The Electoral Commission continues to cooperate with the Information Regulator in this regard”.