By Johnathan Paoli
Voting stations have officially opened for the local government elections, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) warning political parties and candidates against conducting prohibited election-day campaigning.
During a press briefing on Wednesday morning, IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said initial indications suggested that voting stations had opened successfully across almost the entire country, although the commission was still monitoring operations for possible glitches.
“All indications that we have at this stage is that all is up and running out there. I’m not saying every little place has no problem. I’m saying to you, indications are that we have opened successfully almost everywhere in the country,” he said.
Voting stations are scheduled to remain open until 9pm, with voters who are already within the boundaries of a voting station when it closes still entitled to cast their ballots.
The IEC chairperson also emphasised that while there was no blanket prohibition on campaigning, certain activities were prohibited within voting station boundaries and organised political events were not permitted anywhere in the country.
“Therefore, the only permissible political activity within the boundaries of voting stations is the casting of ballots,” Moepya said.
He explained that prohibited activities within voting station boundaries included displaying or distributing political billboards, posters, placards or pamphlets, as well as attempting to influence voters to support or reject a particular political party or candidate.
It is also prohibited to attempt to persuade people not to vote.
Moepya said presiding officers were responsible for establishing the boundaries of voting stations in consultation with party agents, adding that political activity could continue outside these demarcated areas, provided it complied with the applicable legal framework.
However, organised political activities, including meetings, marches, demonstrations and rallies, were prohibited anywhere in the country on election day.
“Any person who contravenes this applicable legal framework will be guilty of an offence and, upon conviction, will be liable for a fine or a period of imprisonment not exceeding five years,” he said.
Moepya said the restrictions were intended to protect voters’ ability to exercise their democratic rights freely while allowing limited political activity to continue without organised public events.
He urged political parties, candidates, supporters and voters to familiarise themselves with the regulations and avoid conduct that could interfere with the voting process.
Responding to a question from the media about whether voters could cast ballots at any voting station within their ward, Moepya said the rules for the local government elections differed from those applicable to national and provincial elections.
“You vote at the specific voting station that you’re registered in. What this means is that although you may register in any way in that ward, you vote only at the voting station where you’re registered. And that is the position,” he said.
He clarified that MEC7 forms would not be used in the same manner as Section 24A provisions during national and provincial elections.
Instead, MEC7 forms would be used in specific circumstances where a voter could demonstrate that they had successfully applied for registration but, for some reason, their name did not appear on the voters’ roll.
The IEC also encouraged voters to verify their registration details before making their way to voting stations to avoid unnecessary delays.
Moepya urged South Africans to rely on accurate information as voting continued, warning against misinformation and disinformation that could undermine confidence in the electoral process.
“Let’s help South Africans. Let’s give them the correct information. Let’s say no to misinformation and disinformation. South Africans need correct, good, credible information to make decisions that are so important for them today,” he said.
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