- Close to 99% of voting stations opened on time on Monday, but 10 of Cape Town’s 116 wards had not opened by 10:30am.
- A presiding officer died after collapsing at her post in North West, and a deputy presiding officer was hit by a car in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says special voting got off to a positive start on Monday, 2 November, with voting beginning without incident across the country.
Speaking at a media briefing in Midrand on Monday, IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for Electoral Operations Masego Sheburi said 94% of stations opened with all their staff and materials, including ballot papers.
Special voting started slowly in the City of Cape Town, where voting stations in 10 of the 116 wards had still not opened by 10:30am. The IEC said no effort is being spared to open the remaining stations.
In Cape Town, ballot papers had not reached 217 voting stations by 8am, so those stations could not open on time, the IEC’s Western Cape Provincial Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse said.
He said the cause was an unforeseen delay in delivering the special vote ballots, which involved the company contracted to print them.
He said stations were opening as ballots arrived, and that the problem was limited to the Cape Metro.
The IEC also reported incidents affecting election officials.
In North West, a presiding officer collapsed at her post and died. Sheburi said:
“With a sad heart, we announce the passing of a presiding officer who collapsed at a voting station and has sadly passed on in Mahikeng. The commission is offering the necessary support to the family and colleagues.”
In the uKhahlamba district of KwaZulu-Natal, a deputy presiding officer was hit by a car on her way to the voting station and was rushed to hospital. The IEC said it is supporting the affected officials and families. It said it expects further improvement on Tuesday, 3 November, the second day of special voting.
The IEC says three measures are speeding up voting. It has deployed handheld barcode scanners connected to its voter management devices, which are the digital devices officials use to check voters in. It has updated and re-tested those devices, to avoid the problems of the last elections. And it uses sequence numbers on the voters’ roll, so that officials can find a voter faster.
The IEC asks voters to confirm their voting station and sequence number before leaving home, and to give the number to officials on Election Day.
Voters can check their details by WhatsApp on 0600 88 0000, by calling the IEC contact centre on 0800 11 8000, or by SMS to 32810 at R1 an SMS. They can also use the live chat on www.elections.org.za. The contact centre is open from 7am to 7pm on Monday and Tuesday, and from 7am to 9pm on Wednesday, 4 November.
Special votes at voting stations can be cast only at the station where the voter is registered, and only if their application was approved. Voters must bring a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book or a Temporary Identity Certificate. Stations stay open until 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. If all the approved voters at a station have been served on the first day, the presiding officer will close it and reopen it only for normal voting on Wednesday, 4 November.
Special votes are stored securely and are counted only after voting stations close on Wednesday.
