On Monday 31 May Mr Johan Killian, the New National Party's candidate for Premier in the Gauteng province, was compelled by a ruling of the Electoral Court in Pretoria to make an unreserved apology to the African National Congress for uttering a defamatory statement against the ANC during an election rally held in Boksburg.
During an election rally held by the NNP in Boksburg, Johan Killian alleged that the ANC would commit electoral fraud by voting on behalf of registered voters who had not voted on election day. After the ANC communicated with the NNP regarding this statement, Johan Killian had the temerity to repeat it to the media, even claiming that he had proof of such electoral fraud from previous elections.
The upshot was that the ANC took legal action, terms of the Electoral Code against Johan Killian and he has been forced to retract his statement. The ANC agreed t not to press for Killian's removal from the Gauteng electoral list on condition that the NNP published an apology to the ANC on a prominent page in two daily newspapers.
The electoral court awarded the ANC costs for the proceedings.
The outcome of today's hearing should serve as a salutory lesson to all any parties to abide strictly by the Electoral Code of Conduct. The ANC repeats its call to all its members to observe the IEC code as well as the ANC's own code of conduct.
For more information contact Dr Pallo Jordan at the Media Centre at(011) 339-1112/3.
Issued by the African National Congress
Elections Media Centre
Gallagher Estates.
31 May 1999