South Africa's Elections Marred By Technical Glitches And Delays
Thousands of voters in South Africa were still in queues after midnight on Thursday waiting to cast their votes after the May 29 elections were affected by technical glitches and delays.
Snaking queues were witnessed around the country, particularly in the metros of Durban, Joburg and Cape Town, according to IOL.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa, which is often referred to as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), during a press conference on Wednesday night, insisted that all voting take place and conclude, saying having an extra day for voting will present logistical and security challenges for millions of ballots.
The delays were attributed to the voter management devices (VMDs) which persistently glitched at several municipalities around the country as voters queued to cast their vote.
Around 2 PM on Wednesday, the IEC sent a circular to presiding officers and area managers, instructing them to ditch the VMDs and to utilise the manual ballot roll if the devices were hindering the voting process.
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IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the devices were not a requirement in terms of the electoral act, but the manual system of the ballot roll was legislated.
IEC volunteers manning the elections said the VMDs – when they worked – were more efficient than the manual system.
Some voting stations were still packed with potential voters who braved the cold winter weather to cast their vote, well after 9 PM.
Meanwhile, early results from traditional ANC strongholds show Jacob Zuma’s MK party edging the ANC by more than five per cent with the IFP in third and the DA in fourth.
In the Western Cape, Gayton Mckenzie’s Patriotic Alliance was showing strong numbers and was eating into the DA’s support.
With 11.3% of the national vote having been counted so far, ANC has garnered 42.8% of the votes, DA has 25.6%, EFF has 8.3%, MK has 7.8, and PA has 4.9%.
By law, South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has seven days in which to announce full results.
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