IEC official dies as special voting begins; another injured in KZN crash

IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi outlined measures to speed up voting, including handheld scanners and sequence numbers, as the commission works to improve the special-voting process.

Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers

The first day of special voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections has been marred by the death of a presiding officer who collapsed at a voting station, while another IEC official was injured in a motor vehicle accident in KwaZulu-Natal.

IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi confirmed the incidents during a media briefing on Monday, while reporting that special voting had started positively across most of the country.

He said 94% of voting stations had opened with all staff present and the required materials, including ballot papers, when voting began.

However, the IEC experienced delays in parts of Cape Town, where 10 of the city's 116 wards had not yet opened their voting stations by 10.30 am.

Shiburi said efforts were underway to ensure the remaining stations opened and remained operational so that approved special voters could cast their ballots.

“In the majority of cases, voters have been smoothly assisted with demonstrable improvement owing to the various efficiency measures that the commission has implemented,” he said.

Shiburi said the commission was saddened by the death of a presiding officer who collapsed at a voting station in Mahikeng.

He also confirmed that a deputy presiding officer in the uKhahlamba district in KwaZulu-Natal had been involved in a motor vehicle accident and was taken to hospital.

“The commission is providing the necessary support to the affected officials who were at the stations as well as the family of the now deceased colleagues,” he said.

Despite the incidents, Shiburi said the commission had recorded an overall strong performance across the country.

He said the IEC intended to improve its performance in Cape Town during the afternoon and expected a better showing on Tuesday, the second and final day of special voting.

Shiburi said the commission had introduced several measures to improve the processing of voters and reduce delays at voting stations.

These included handheld scanners connected to the Voter Management Device (VMD), which are being used to speed up the scanning of identity numbers and improve the movement of queues.

The IEC had also enhanced the operation of its voter management devices and the applications used on them to improve their reliability.

Another measure was the introduction of sequence numbers on the voters' roll, allowing officials to locate voters using a number rather than searching only by name.

The commission urged voters to confirm their registration details before going to their voting stations.

Voters can check their details through the IEC's WhatsApp line on 0600 88 0000, the contact centre on 0800 11 8000, or by sending an SMS to 32810 at a cost of R1.

The services provide voters with confirmation of their voting station and their sequence number on the voters roll.

The contact centre operates from 7am to 7pm during the special-voting period. It will operate from 7am until 9pm on Wednesday, November 4, election day.

Voting stations will remain open until 5pm on Monday and Tuesday for people whose applications for special votes have been approved to cast their ballots at their registered stations.

Shiburi reminded voters to bring an acceptable identity document, which can be a smart ID card, a green barcoded identity document book or a Temporary Identity Certificate issued by the Department of Home Affairs.

He said Home Affairs offices were maintaining operating hours aligned with those of voting stations to assist people who had misplaced their identity documents.

IEC teams conducting home visits were also expected to return by 5pm on Monday to allow for the reconciliation and secure overnight storage of special ballots.

Shiburi said the ballots would be stored securely and would only be counted after voting stations closed on Wednesday, November 4.