South Africans who applied for special votes began casting their ballots on November 2, ahead of the main local government elections on November 4. Special voting continues tomorrow, November 3, at local polling stations.

First-time special voter Thamsanqa Gazide (26) said the process took only a few minutes.

“It was very short and sweet. There are no queues, and the police and IEC officials are there to observe everything, so the process was smooth,” he said.

Gazide cast his ballot inside an open tent opposite Tokologo Cemetery in Mhluzi Ext 5. He said he had opted to vote early due to travel plans.

“I will be flying to Cape Town tomorrow morning and I need to make sure that my voice is heard,” he said.

He described the process as efficient, adding that everything was set up and ready when he arrived.

Gazide encouraged first-time voters to keep their choices private, saying young people had the power to influence the country’s future through voting.

High turnout reported

Steve Tshwete IEC municipal electoral officer Elvis Ngcobo said all voting stations in the municipality opened on time, with no problems reported.

IEC deputy head of communication David Mandaha said the nationwide special voting process started well, with 99% of voting stations opening at 08:00.

The commission acknowledged brief delays in Cape Town, mainly because some voting materials were still being delivered. These were quickly resolved.

“Nationally we are good. We started on a good footing, with all the voting stations opening, and we did not have any incidents that we can report,” Mandaha said.