JOHANNESBURG, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Friday said they will approach the court to postpone local government elections because of COVID-19.

Former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, who was appointed by the IEC to conduct a election feasibility survey, said this Tuesday that free and fair elections could not be held this year.

"The Commission notes the rational and central thesis of the report that community immunity through mass vaccination must be considered as a desirable step in the conduct of a safe, free and fair election in the republic," said IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini.

"The Commission will urgently brief Senior Counsel to launch an application in a court of competent jurisdiction to seek judicial authorization to conduct the election outside of the constitutionally prescribed time periods," he added.

He said they will postpone upcoming voter registration weekend scheduled for July 31 and August 1 to a later date and ask the courts to grant the election date not later than February 2022.

"The Commission appeals for a spirit of calm, support and working together among all stakeholders, in the interest of stability and certainty on the one hand, and at the indispensable need for the preservation of constitutional electoral democracy in the Republic," said Mashinini.

The local government elections were scheduled to be held on October 27 this year, however, the country is currently in the third wave of COVID-19. Enditem

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