IEC Western Cape Updates: Late Closures and Power Outages

The IEC in the Western Cape provided an update during a media briefing on Thursday afternoon regarding Election Day and the election results. 

Photo by: Veerle Kroon

Michael Hendrickse, the Western Cape Provincial Head of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, addressed the late closure of some voting stations, with the last closure in Parklands at 1:52 AM on Thursday. He noted that 10 voting districts were still finalizing their counts. Once counting is complete, IEC officials and party agents sign the result slips, which are then transported to the local IEC office. There, officials input the results into the system, and independent auditors verify the information. The results will be available on the IEC website.

Hendrickse reported minimal incidents on Election Day, but mentioned a power failure in Breede Valley around 2 a.m., affecting 57 voting stations. Eskom resolved the issue, allowing vote counting to resume. He also mentioned two separate shooting incidents that did not impact the voting process in these areas. Lastly, there was an incident at an IEC office in Mossel Bay where an unauthorized party official tried to get inside. He was later arrested.

Hendrickse stressed that high voter turnout should not excuse long lines and that the IEC should have been better prepared. He could not provide a timeline for when the final results would be available.

Done by: Veerle Kroon