More than 1.3 million cast special votes as IEC reports election disruptions

The IEC has recorded over 1.3 million special votes.

More than 1.3 million South Africans have already cast special votes, but reports of intimidation, alleged hostage-taking and interference with election materials have raised fresh concerns about the conduct of the voting process.

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chief executive Sy Mamabolo disclosed on Tuesday that special votes had been recorded, including 421,000 conducted through home visits.

He warned political parties and their supporters against intimidating election officials and disrupting voting activities.

Addressing the media on the second and final day of special voting, Mamabolo said all voting stations had opened on time and were operating at full capacity.

Home-visit teams were also continuing with their scheduled deployments.

The special voting period was expected to close at 5pm on Tuesday.

However, Mamabolo clarified that eligible voters who were unable to complete their special votes would have another opportunity on Wednesday at their registered voting stations.

“Those voters will still be allowed to vote at their voting station of registration tomorrow,” he said.

His update came amid reports of alleged election-related intimidation and disruptions in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Mamabolo described the reported incidents as serious criminal behaviour, citing intimidation of IEC officials, interference with voting activities and tampering with election materials.

In Mpumalanga, a political party candidate was arrested after allegedly storming and vandalising the interior of a voting station.

In Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), supporters of the MK Party allegedly stormed an IEC storage facility and held election officials hostage.

“Public order policing was called to disperse these supporters and secure the officials and election materials,” Mamabolo said.

He added that the group eventually left peacefully following engagements with the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Similar attempts involving MKP supporters were reported at other election storage facilities in Richmond, Mkhambathini and Pietermaritzburg.

Meanwhile, police arrested two women accused of posing as IEC officials.

The IEC has urged political parties and their supporters to respect election procedures and allow officials to carry out their duties without interference as voting continues.