ANC accused of campaigning during voting

ELECTIONS in Giyani were marred by allegations of campaigning outside voting stations.

Eyewitnesses said ANC members were dressed in full ANC regalia and stood outside the voting stations in Giyani, waving ANC flags and handing out pamphlets.

Peter Mchavi, EFF party agent at the Famanda High School voting station, said members of the ANC handed out T-shirts and other branded goods outside this voting station to influence voters.

“When we complained to the IEC voting station manager, they moved away a little,” he said.

The same happened at the Thusong Centre in Makhuva village.

“We tried to complain, but IEC officials said there were no complaint forms available.

We wrote our complaint on a piece of paper that we copied before handing it to the IEC representatives,” said Victor Mavunda, EFF convener in Giyani.

Mavunda said in ward 17 of Thomo village, EFF members who showed up at the voting station were sent home and told to change into regular clothes, while ANC members in ANC regalia were allowed to walk in and vote without any problems.

He also said he was concerned about the fact that this voting station ran out of ballot papers.

Giyani DA councillor, Hasani Shivambu, said things were even worse at the Risinga High School voting station.

“I saw ANC representatives walking into the voting station with voters.

It seemed as if they were trying to do some last minute campaigning,” he said.

ANC Mopani regional secretary, Baskop Makamu, said the allegations that the ANC was campaigning outside voting stations were completely false.

“All ANC members were more than 500m away from the voting stations and they were not handing out T-shirts.”

Electoral project coordinator for Limpopo, Joseph Masingi, said campaigns should stop at midnight the day before the elections.

He said it was a serious offence to campaign at voting stations.

“If there is proof of such incidents, it should be forwarded to the IEC so that we can deal with the problem.”

Masingi said no individuals were allowed to enter voting stations dressed in party regalia, except for party agents stationed at these stations, but IEC national chairperson, Pansy Tlakula, said voters could wear party regalia, as long as they refrained from campaigning.