By Buhle Makabane

The Independent Electoral Commission is currently verifying documents in the run up to printing ballot papers for the March local government elections.

With just over a month to go to the local government elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is in full stride.

Political parties had to verify their candidates' list and hand in any outstanding documents to the IEC by the end of the working day on Tuesday, 24 January.

Now it is up to the IEC to scrutinise those lists and ensure that the parties comply with all the requirements of the Municipal Electoral Act.

The verification process is ongoing, says IEC provincial officer Sy Mamabolo. ''We are now checking if people have registered and submitted all the necessary details that needed to be submitted.''

So far, political parties and ward candidates participating in the elections have submitted party lists and candidate nominations and paid the required deposits.

According the IEC website, 98 parties out of a total of 160 registered parties will contest the elections, and 45 026 candidates have been registered on the IEC database. This figure is made up of 21 172 names on the party list candidates, 23 176 ward candidates and 678 independents.

The certification of the party lists and ward candidates contesting the elections will take place on 30 January, he adds.

Then the next step is the printing of the ballot papers, according to Mamabolo.

Source: Johannesburg News Agency