On Monday afternoon, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that over 100 voting stations were closed on the first day of special voting, primarily due to the taxi strike in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.Special voting, which started on Monday, allows South Africans unable to vote on Wednesday to cast their ballots.
IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi stated that the commission is working with stakeholders to ensure smooth operations on Tuesday."Thanks to good preparations, the commission managed to open the majority of voting stations in the Eastern Cape, despite the protests unrelated to the elections," Shiburi said."Of the 435 voting stations that faced issues in the morning, only 107 remain closed due to external factors. We continue to collaborate with stakeholders to reopen them tomorrow."
Shiburi assured that the special voting process adheres to all necessary security protocols. "The special voting process is subject to all the security and integrity protocols of normal voting, including scrutiny by party agents and observers where present. Special votes will be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes. Additional checks include the double envelope system, preserving the secrecy of the voter’s ballot. All special votes collected are securely stored overnight on May 27 and 28 and will be transported to voting stations on May 29 for reconciliation and counting with the ordinary ballots," he said.
He also urged South Africans to be cautious of misinformation and phishing scams on social media and other digital platforms.
Despite the disruptions in the Eastern Cape, Shiburi expressed satisfaction with the progress made. "As of 2 pm today, an estimated 201,794 special vote visits were processed at 22,626 service points. A total of 624,593 voters will be visited by 62,000 officials over the two days, accompanied by political party agents and observers where available," Shiburi reported.