IEC satisfied with special voting in North West
Despite a few reported incidents, the North West IEC has expressed satisfaction with how special voting has unfolded
|||Rustenburg - The North West IEC has expressed satisfaction with how special voting has unfolded in the province ahead of local government elections on Wednesday.
But some reported incidents of ballots not being properly sealed, others being swapped between wards in Rustenburg and some voters not being inked after voting have blighted the process.
According to the IEC there are more than 64 000 people registered to cast special votes in the province.
In Rustenburg's Wards 2 and 25, party agents reported that ballot books for some voting stations had been swapped. According to independent candidates,a party liaison committee meeting resolved that all those who voted on Monday would have to be recalled or revisited to correct the error.
Other problems reported included some voters who were allegedly not inked after voting. ANC party agents were also allegedly kicked out of the IEC's home visits after they apparently rushed ahead to to campaign among the voters who were being visited.
In Christiana near Vryburg, the SABC reported that an IEC presiding officer had been removed after opposition parties alleged irregularities with ballot boxes.
The broadcaster reported that the officer had gone to lunch with a ballot box that had not been properly sealed.
IEC provincial head Tumelontle Thiba said managing special voting for more than 64 000 people was a challenge. However she said the commission was satisfied and happy with how things had progressed.
She said she had not yet got reports about the incidents that apparently took place in Rustenburg but promised to investigate them once the reports had been handed to her.
Bosa Ledwaba, a candidate for the community based Forum 4 Service Delivery, said she feared that the voters who were victims of the mistakes made, and who now had to be visited again, might not be all available for a second take.
Election Bureau