EASTERN CAPE SPEAKER VOTED TWICE ON LGE 2021?
"Pictures on Social Media and the fact that presiding officer at sphephetho is her sister in law are some of the reasons that make people believe she did it"
Two opposition parties in the Eastern Cape province are conducting investigations on allegations that a Municipal Speaker has voted twice in the Local Government Election that the country embarked on four days ago. According to reports former Cllr Nomasomi Mshuqwana who was the Speaker at Matatiele Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape allegedly voted as a special and as an ordinary voter.
Reports said Mshuqwana decided to cast her vote as a special voter at Harry Gwala Park on the 30th of October which was the first day opened for special vote. She then allegedly voted as an ordinary voter at Siphephetho polling station on the 1st of November which was the day for all South Africans to vote. Democratic Alliance provincial deputy chairperson Wonga Potwana and Siseko Sikhafungana of the Economic Freedom Fighters have confirmed to the Informer that they are indeed investigating the matter with the hope of opening a criminal case.
WHY PEOPLE THINK MSHUQWANA VOTED TWICE
This morning Social Media was abuzz with what could be an evidence that Mshuqwana voted two times in different days and voting stations. The first evidence is a picture of her left thumb with a voting ink, a picture taken by her after casting her vote at Harry Gwala Park on Saturday the 30th. Below the picture of her thumb Mshuqwana wrote “Done @Harry Gwala Park and I was number 1 ndiyivulile indlela. The second evidence is that of Mshuqwana ‘s picture voting at what is reported to be Siphephetho voting station at ward 18 in Matatiele. In the picture she is wearing an African National Congress Pinafore Apron and is putting a ballot paper in a ballot box. The picture was uploaded in a facebook page of Dumisani Mthokozi Mbokwana four days ago. Mbokwana is the Public participation Manager at the Matatiele Local Municipality and reports to the Speaker in as far a work protocol is concerned. In the picture it is written that “The Honorable Speaker of Matatiele Local Municipality, Cllr Nomasomi Mshuqwana casted her vote for the ANC at Sphephetho J.S.S. Voting station at fiva Village”.
The Informer phoned Mbokwana for his response about the speaker’s picture appearing in his facebook page. After not responding to calls a Whatsapp message was sent to him for a response. In returning the call Mbokwana vehemently denied anything to do with the speakers picture voting at Sphephetho. “After you sent me questions I received a call from the Speaker shouting at me about her picture which she said is in my facebook page. I did not see the picture even now as I speak with you its not there. Asked who might have removed the picture after questions about it were sent to him he said “I don’t know. May be my facebook page is hacked.
Responding to these allegations former speaker Mshuqwana described these allegations as fabrication by people who are trying to taint her name. “I could never do that even if I wanted to. I voted at Harry Gwala Park where my name is registered for me to vote. After voting I posted my thumb on facebook myself and I said I lead the way. I am not registered at Sphephetho therefore for me to vote there it’s a no no. I am a leader I cant do something like that”, she said. When Mshuqwana was asked about the evidence on facebook she said, I tried to contact the owner of this facebook page which is Mbokwana but failed to get hold of him. This is a contradiction because Mbokwana said he was shouted by the speaker on the phone about this. Mshuqwana also agreed that she did visit Sphephetho voting station not to vote but she was in a team deployed by the ANC to visit polling stations of which Sphephetho was one of them.
In an interview Democratic Allience leader in the region Wonga Potwana agreed that they are investigating the matter and they have 95% of evidence that Mshuqwana have voted twice. “We are now left with talking to IEC and thereafter we go and open up a case of fraud. We know this can happen taking into consideration that the presiding officer there was her sister in law. So she can manipulate the situation and vote though she is not appearing in the voter’s roll of that station”, said Potwana. Even Sikhafungana of the EFF said they want to speak to IEC and then open a case of fraud against Mshuqwana. “Our party agent has signed an affidavit that she was at Harry Gwala Park to vote and she was the only one who went there on that day. We are surprised by the picture of her appearing on another voting station”, he said.
