NATIONAL NEWS - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has confirmed that a presiding officer in eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal was arrested on Monday after allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box.
IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini, briefing the media in Tshwane at the commission’s results operations centre, said the matter was being investigated by the South African Police Service (Saps).
“This incident, which did not affect voting, is a testament to the in-built safeguards in the voting process that also include an active role for party and independent candidate agents,” Mashinini said.
He said they were satisfied with the overall voting process so far despite some incidents of voting stations opening late due to community protests and a shortage of ballot paper at some stations.
Over 99% of the commission’s 23,148 voting stations opened on time at 7am and reported a strong turnout of voters from early in the morning.
More than 3.5 million voters had already voted by 12:30. The commission attributed this to the use of their new voter management devices, which replaced their old zip-zip machines.
“In general, voting is progressing well across the country. The logistical arrangements, as well as the voter management devices, are holding well, on the whole,” Mashinini said.
