To the Western Cape Jewish community,

The Election Commission (EC) sent out a communication last week indicating that it had been made aware that defamatory allegations against one of the nominees had been made. It has since been made aware of further instances of persons wrongly suggesting that at least one of the nominees in the public ballot is pro-BDS and anti-Israel.

The EC views such allegations, incorrectly and dishonestly labelling nominees in order to discourage voting for those nominees —especially by leaders in the community— as representing a threat to a free, fair and credible election. The EC condemns in the strongest possible terms that members of the community see fit to smear and label in this manner. The EC urges the community to ignore such communications when determining for whom to vote.

We want to ensure our Elections are free and fair, so if you feel anything is untoward, please let us know by reporting any election irregularities to our Electoral Operations Officer, Stuart Diamond at stuart@ctjc.co.za or 082 387 7315.

The EC is bound by section 30(b)(iv) to protect the anonymity of a complainant where it is requested by such complainant.

Kind regards

Anton Katz | Doron Goldberg | Richard Friedman
Election Commission