The IEC says it’s met with Minister Des van Rooyen and MEC’s of the affected provinces to discuss this issue.

JOHANNESBURG - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says it's decided to postpone all of the planned by-elections, including polls scheduled for Wednesday, because of the uncertainty around the voters' address information that should appear on the voters' roll.

The commission is currently appealing an Electoral Court ruling that said the addresses of voters had to be on the roll, in a case sparked by controversy in Tlokwe.

The electoral commission has already told the Constitutional Court in legal papers that it's not possible to hold local government elections this year, if it has to include all of the information the Electoral Court has demanded on the voters' roll.

Now it says that because of the uncertainty over these issues, it's not comfortable going ahead with these planned by-elections as well.

The commission also says it's met with Cooperative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen and the MEC's of the affected provinces to discuss this issue.

It says it will review the postponement of these by-elections after the Constitutional Court hands down its ruling in the Tlokwe case.