By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has reassured that the late delivery of ballot papers and other logistical issues that voters experienced at some voting stations did not violate any election legal framework.
The commission said by 12pm election operations around the country reported good progress with minimal incidents reported and that they expected to meet or surpass 66% of voter turnout by the end of the end at 9pm.
The commission recorded a 66% voter turnout in the 2021 municipal elections.
An estimated 27 million voters are registered to cast their ballots on Wednesday.
Briefing the media at the IEC’s results centre in Midrand, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi said there had been a steady flow of voters through the morning.
“The commission planned to receive as many voters as would participate. We have also estimated that the turnout may be more than 66%, so that is the basis on which we made our plans, and that is not blind hope.”
“We also unfortunately had a number of voting stations at which we opened late due to delays in material handling, also related to lack of escort for our materials, including protests in certain communities.”
Turnout has steadily fallen since the start of the democratic era and is one of the key variables this time.
The election appeared to be going smoothly in most places, with Sheburi saying 93% of polling stations had opened on time.
With the ANC still on course to win the largest share of the vote, its leader President Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to remain in office.
Opinion polls suggest EFF support has been hovering between 10 and 12%, far short of the ANC on 37-44%, but Malema could find himself in position to be a kingmaker depending on the election results.
Former president Jacob Zuma has fallen out with the ANC and is backing a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), named after the ANC’s former armed wing. Zuma, who was forced to quit as president in 2018 after a string of scandals, has enduring influence, particularly in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The election commission is expected to start releasing partial results within hours of polling stations closing and final results within three or four days at most.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of IECSA.