Opposition political parties gathered outside the Emalahleni Municipality on Thursday morning to lodge formal complaints with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) over alleged ballot handling discrepancies.

The protest, led by members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), follows claims of missing and surplus voting papers as counting continues in Mpumalanga.

Discrepancies in Ward 30

In Ward 30, which falls under Phola, MK candidate Nomasanto Mufukenge alleged that voting was unfair after 45 ballot papers went missing.

“They were 45 short, but they still sealed the box and they just left,” Mofokeng said. “We are the political parties who are still in the dark.”

An EFF member, speaking alongside Mofokeng, claimed that election results were shared behind closed doors before counting had finished.

Surplus ballots in Ward 4

Further concerns emerged in Ward 4, where Sizwe Zwane reported that election officials have been unable to release results after identifying 600 extra ballots that did not match recorded voter turnout.

IEC sets objection deadline

In a follow-up interview with Witbank News, IEC Mpumalanga spokesperson Thandoxolo Chembeni explained that reconciliation processes exist to ensure results are correct.

Chembeni advised aggrieved parties to lodge formal objections promptly.

“Tomorrow 17:00 is the due date for all objections to be submitted at national level,” he said.

He confirmed that no formal objections had yet been registered from eMalahleni.

Read more:Smooth start for eMalahleni’s registered voters

Local elections proceeded without incident across eMalahleni, but officers stayed on duty overnight as political party disputes forced vote recounts at some venues. Read more here⬇️ https://t.co/wxR0YlRK2L

— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) November 5, 2026

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