The IEC says alleged shooting incidents in Gqeberha’s crime-ridden Northern Areas forced it to move the counting of votes to other locations on Wednesday night.
However, Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the vote count was moved because of bad lighting in the area.
The IEC said that when it got dark, voters started getting restless, and the counting of votes at three voting stations had to be moved to other venues.
IEC Eastern Cape head Khayakazi Magudumana said: “There were shooting incidents happening as it started getting dark, and the situation seemed to be escalating. We felt it was better to relocate for counting purposes.”
Naidu, however, said: “There were no shootings at any voting stations in Gqeberha. There was a shooting in the area, but it was not election-related. They moved the counting after the voting station closed because of poor lighting.”
Naidu said the only shooting incident happened around 1pm on Wednesday when police shot dead a man from Schauderville in Gqeberha’s Northern Areas.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene said the man tried to enter a voting station with a gun and allegedly opened fire when police tried to stop him.
“You can’t enter a voting station with a firearm,” said Mene.
Naidu said residents became angry following the shooting.
“Public order policing arrived and fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to quell the situation and disperse the community,” she said.
“It is alleged that the deceased [Kurtley Gawie, 28] was a gang member and that the incident was not related to the elections,” she said.
The IEC in the province said despite Wednesday’s violent incident, the counting of votes continued smoothly.
Pictured above: A voting station in Gqeberha.
Image source: Anita Dangazele
