The Electoral Commission has reported a minimal number of challenges during the first day of special voting nationwide.
The Commission briefed the media at the National Results Center in Midrand on Monday regarding the special voting process. The IEC stated that it was able to open the majority of voting stations in the Eastern Cape despite facing protests unrelated to the elections. They reported that out of the 435 voting stations that experienced issues on Monday morning, only 107 remained closed.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi says that the challenges that the IEC faced on the first day of special voting, must be seen in relation to the 22,600 voting stations administered by the Commission.
“While we report a good start to the start of special voting, we must regrettably also indicate that there are areas where we are unable to operate, not because of ineptness on the part of the Commission but because, withstanding all our plans, factors external to the electoral programme has meant that in 107 voting stations we have not been able to help voters; the majority of voting stations are in the OR Tambo region due to the taxi strike in that area.”
Shiburi says that the IEC is working with the country’s security structures to have the 107 stations open on Tuesday.
Security features The Commission has also explained the security features it has put in place with regards to special voting.
Shiburi says that the IEC has ensured that no citizen will vote more than once through the use of a special voting application or a Section 24 (A) application.
The Section 24 (A) application, whose deadline was the 17th of May, allows voters to vote away from the voting station where they are registered on the 29th of May.
“In the event that a voter applies for a special vote more than once, the second transaction will override the initial transaction; similarly, if a voter applies for a special vote and subsequent votes by section 24 (A), the section 24 (A) approval overrides the special vote that is granted, which is in order to honour the constitutional and lawful requirement that a voter must only vote once in an election.”
Shiburi has also outlined the process that will take place after the special votes have been cast.
“The special votes cast today will not be counted. They will only be counted along with the rest of the ballots at the close of the station on May 29th. This is because the same verification process that applies to ordinary ballots also applies to special votes. They will be reintroduced at the stations, still in the special envelopes.”
Vote rigging
Meanwhile, the IEC also rejected a claim of vote rigging by the MK Party.
The claim relates to a video on social media showing ballot papers stored in a room at a warehouse in Hammersdale, KwaZulu-Natal, which it is alleged was under the control of an unauthorised person in a yellow t-shirt.
The IEC says the video showed the Commission’s planned logistical arrangements and storage of election materials in preparation for special voting on Monday.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Mosery says law enforcement is looking into the incident.
“The incident on its own is still a matter of processing with ourselves as the commission as well as the police as to whether there will be criminal charges; we will know in due course.”
The IEC has warned citizens of misinformation ahead of the second day of special voting on Wednesday.
