Pretoria - The Electoral Commission says up to 3.5 million people had voted by midday on Monday with IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini saying that there had been a strong voter turnout.
“The Commission commends South Africans for coming out, as they continue to, in huge numbers vote,” said Mashinini during an update on the first few hours of voting on election day.
According to Mashinini there were also glitches in some provinces.
In Camperdown and Umloti in KwaZulu-Natal, 20 voting stations had not opened due to protests by community members but Mashinini maintained they were later opened following intervention by law-authorities .
In the Eastern Cape, 19 voting stations were also not open. The IEC said this was due to members of the community protesting.
Meanwhile, a presiding officer in eThekwini was arrested for allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box.
Mashinini said the said the matter was now in the hands of the police.
In Limpopo, voting stations were affected by hailstorms while in Moretele in the North West, a member of a political party was arrested after he allegedly interrupted voting. And in Taung, the Commission laid charges against a presiding officer after he opened a ballot box that had been sealed.
Mashinini said voting would continue throughout the day until 9pm tonight when polling stations would close.
He also reminded voters to cast their where they were registered.
“Voters are also reminded that it is prohibited to take a photograph of a marked ballot paper, This is essential to protect the secrecy and integrity of their vote,” he said.
noni.mokati@inl.co.za
Political Bureau