The Electoral Commission Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo has thanked South Africans who have assisted and cooperated with electoral officials but expressed concerns regarding incidents of unlawful conduct ahead of the poll.
South Africans head to the polls on Wednesday for what many describe as the most closely contested elections of the democratic era.
Voting stations open at seven am and close at nine pm tomorrow. Mamabolo was speaking at the IEC’s Results Operations Centre in Midrand. He has appealed to members of the public to refrain from taking photographs of their marked ballot papers.
“The Commission remains concerned with incidents of unlawful conduct directed at its operations or against electoral officials. Accordingly, we urge all South Africans including political party members and the public to allow officials to carry out their responsibilities without hindrance. The Commission urges all the remaining 26 million eligible voters to go out and cast their ballots tomorrow.”
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Efficiency
As special voting concludes nationally, some voters in Randburg, north of Johannesburg, have praised the Electoral Commission for their efficiency at voting stations.
More than 330 000 people were registered for special votes in Gauteng, the highest in the country. Nationally, over 1.6 million special vote applications were approved by the IEC.
‘Seamless process’
The IEC in the Free State says the final day of the two-day special votes has been a seamless process without any glitches. Provincial Electoral Officer Jabulani Tshabalala says day two of special votes saw more than 6 000 station visits, across their 1 444 service points and more than 14 000 home visits in the province.
On the first day, the IEC reported more than 14 000 station visits. With over 80 000 people registered for the special vote, Tshabalala says the IEC is pleased with the progress made in the province.
