ELECTION NEWS - Helen Zille made a serious allegation against the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) after three voting stations in Ward 72 ran out of ballot papers during the local government elections on Wednesday.
The affected stations were Summerwood Primary, Glen Hazel Primary and Jabula Recreation Centre in Sandringham.
In a video message to voters, Zille apologised for the disruption.
“I’m dreadfully sorry that the IEC let us down [by] sending too few ballot papers,” Zille said.
She then suggested that the shortage was not a one-off. “Truly, that’s the way they sometimes run interference in DA strongholds,” she claimed.
Zille urges affected voters to return and vote DA
According to Zille, councillor candidate Daniel Schay told her that the problem had been resolved.
She said anyone who could not cast a ballot earlier still had until 21:00 to do so. Zille also said a formal complaint had been lodged against the IEC.
Schay tells queuing voters to stay put
Schay addressed the shortage at about 10:20. According to Schay, the problem hit all three stations, and he advised people planning to vote to wait about an hour.
He described the situation as incompetence on the part of the IEC.
Voters already waiting were given a clear instruction. “If you are in the queue, please do not leave the queue; stay in the queue,” Schay said.
He added that the problem would be fixed soon and also appealed to those who had left. “Please do not leave and not vote,” he stressed.
The Citizen reached out to the IEC for comment and will add its response once received.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
