Elections 2024: uMkhanyakude political parties take IEC to task

Some political parties in uMkhanyakude District have taken the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to task following Wednesday’s national and provincial elections.

Issues raised by the ANC, EFF, IFP and MK in the district include delays caused by network problems affecting scanners; a concern with broken ballot box seals; long queues at voting stations; problems with the voting management device (VMD) resulting in voting proceeding on the manual voters’ roll; and inadequate voter education, among others.

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The secretary of the IFP in the district, Sihle Ndlovu, said generally, the elections went well though the party noted that in many areas voting did not get under way on time, which resulted in some voters turning back.

Ndlovu said the IFP also received reports that on Monday and Tuesday’s special voting days, the SAPS’ escorting of IEC vehicles and officials was not adequate.

The spokesperson of the SAPS in uMkhanyakude was not available for comment.

“Nevertheless, there was a lot of tolerance among political parties, there was no violence reported from any voting station where the police were needed to intervene,” said Ndlovu.

MK uMkhanyakude District co-ordinator Sthembiso Dlangamandla said reports of broken ballot box seals emerged in various wards in Jozini, which he said forced the party to intervene on behalf of voters.

EFF uMkhanyakude Regional Chair Sifiso Nkonyane raised concerns with insufficient space at a Jozini voting station, with just two classrooms made available compared with the five provided during the local government elections in 2021.

The ANC in the district, meanwhile, complained about presiding officers being ‘inexperienced and inefficient’, with secretary of the ANC in the Nokuhamba Nyawo Region, Thobelani Verus Ngcamphalala said his party’s complaints included the IEC’s ill preparedness on the first day of casting special votes.

Read the ZO on Monday for the full story.

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