EFF Accuses IEC Officials Of Inflating ANC Votes As Gardee Threatens Legal Action

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Godrich Gardee has accused Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials of allegedly manipulating election result slips at several voting stations in Mpumalanga, claiming that the changes resulted in inflated votes for the African National Congress (ANC).

Gardee said the party had identified what it believes to be irregularities in the recording and capturing of election results, raising concerns about the credibility of the electoral process in the province.

According to Gardee, the alleged manipulation involved result slips from certain voting stations, where he claims the figures were altered in a manner that benefited the ANC.

The EFF deputy president indicated that the party would not allow the alleged irregularities to go unchallenged and was preparing to take formal action against those implicated.

He said the EFF intended to open a criminal case against the IEC officials allegedly involved in the manipulation of the results.

In addition to the criminal complaint, the party plans to lodge a formal objection with the electoral commission, requesting an investigation into the disputed results.

Gardee also indicated that the EFF would seek a recount in the affected voting stations to establish whether the officially recorded figures accurately reflect the votes cast by residents.

The allegations come at a sensitive time as political parties closely monitor the counting and verification of votes following the 2026 local government elections.

The IEC is responsible for ensuring that elections are conducted fairly, transparently and in accordance with the country’s electoral laws. Any allegations of interference with voting results are therefore likely to attract serious scrutiny.

For the EFF, the alleged discrepancies raise questions about the accuracy of the provisional results and whether the party’s electoral performance may have been affected by irregularities.

A recount, if granted, could help establish whether the figures recorded on the original result slips correspond with the results captured by the commission.

However, the allegations made by Gardee have not, in themselves, established that IEC officials manipulated election results or that ANC votes were deliberately inflated.

The claims will need to be supported by documentary evidence and subjected to an independent investigation by the relevant authorities.

The IEC is expected to address any formally submitted objections in line with the procedures governing the electoral process.

The EFF’s planned legal action could add another layer of tension to the post-election period, particularly as parties prepare for coalition negotiations and the finalisation of municipal council results.

Gardee’s announcement signals that the party intends to challenge any results it believes were compromised rather than accept disputed figures without further investigation.