LISTEN | Zuma threatens to take vote-rigging case to international courts

MK Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma has warned his party will take its case of alleged vote-rigging to international courts if local courts do not rule in its favour, which he says may result in the party being told to govern with immediate effect.

Zuma claimed to his supporters that the MKP secured the largest share of votes in the May 29 elections, but he alleged the votes were stolen.

Speaking to supporters on Sunday at KwaXimba, eThekwini, the former president reiterated the MKP's accusations, claiming the party had gathered significant evidence to support its claims. However, he stopped short of presenting evidence publicly, insisting it would be revealed only in court.

"We have gathered all the facts but we cannot share them before we are in court. What I can say is there was no voting area where votes were not rigged,” Zuma said.

Listen to Zuma:

The fraud claims were roundly disputed by the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) as baseless. It said the MKP had produced no evidence to back its case. 

Zuma’s comments come after the MKP withdrew its second legal challenge to the IEC over the election results. He said if local courts fail to rule in the party's favour, the case would be taken to international courts, where "there would be no South African judges, but real judges".

In its initial bid to set the election results aside, the party said it had enough evidence that results were manipulated.

"We have to win the case," Zuma said. "This means we could take over governance in Pretoria without delay. Don’t assume we will govern in years to come — it may happen that we govern immediately."

The MKP’s allegations received mixed reactions, with some election analysts saying the allegations are sketchy and their sources were not clear. Many questioned the existence of the evidence.

The party garnered 14.58% of the voter share, with 58 seats in parliament, making it the fourth largest party nationally.

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