Phuti Mosomane
IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo said the Commission is confident that all preparations are in place for free, fair elections on Wednesday.
Mamabolo briefed the media on Tuesday ahead of the start of what analysts called the most crucial elections since 1994, urging all the 26 million eligible voters to go out and cast their votes on Wednesday.
Voting stations will open for voting at 07h00 and close at 21h00 but eligible voters who are still at the station at 21h00 won’t be turned away.
Mamabolo emphasised that said voters must vote where they are registered. The general rule in elections is that a person votes at a voting station where they have registered, he said.
The only exception to the general rule is that a voter may vote outside of their registered voting district only after notifying the CEO. Notifications in this regard closed on May 17.
Approximately 360 000 voters have been approved to vote outside their voting districts.
The South African Weather Service forecasts fair to good weather conditions across the country. However, necessary steps have been taken to manage the potential negative effect of inclement weather on the voting and counting processes.
Mamabolo said Eskom has given assurances that there are no plans for scheduled maintenance work or load shedding in the period around voting day. A number of state entities and municipalities are supporting the logistics of elections.
“Instances of power outages must be reported to Eskom in the normal course to enable effective responses,” he said.
For voters who may need identity documents, the Department of Home Affairs will operate all its offices between 07h00 to 21h00 to facilitate collection of identity documents and the issuance of temporary identification certificates.
The Commission said it welcomed and encouraged vigilance by contestants and observers in the electoral process. However, such vigilance, it said, must be exercised within the confines of the law.
“Interference with the unfolding electoral program, logistics handlings or intimidation of electoral staff cannot be justified as vigilance. We further welcome all interventions made by our law enforcement agencies. Two arrests have been affected and at least two cases are being investigated by SAPS for interference with electoral processes,” he said.
IEC called on all South Africans to go out in huge numbers and vindicate their democratic right to vote.
Mamabolo said the Electoral Commission extends its gratitude to South Africans who registered for and cast special votes at 22,626 voting stations and home visits over the past two days. At a point in the course of Tuesday afternoon indications were that 937 144 voters had been processed.
This figure is much higher than was the case in the previous elections and augurs well for turnout on Wednesday.
Voters who for whatever reason were unable to cast a special vote may still vote at a voting station at which they are registered on election day, 29 May.
An eligible voter must;
- Bring along a valid South African identity document.
- That each voter will be verified on the voters roll and marked with ink on the left thumb.
- Each voter will receive three ballot papers: the national, regional, and provincial ballot papers. Voters are reminded to indicate their choices with one mark on each ballot (voters who have given pre-notification to vote at a voting station outside the province in which they are registered will receive only the national ballot).
- That each ballot paper will be validated with a stamp on the reverse.
- That all three ballots must be deposited in the ballot box at the voting station.
- It is prohibited for a voter to take a photograph of their marked ballot paper. This arrangement is necessary to protect the secrecy of the choice of voters and to avoid voters being coerced or unduly induced into making political choices.
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