The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the Western Cape said that voter registration is proceeding smoothly so far.
The commission welcomed South Africans to 23,706 voting stations across the country for registration yesterday and today. This marks the first scheduled voter registration weekend ahead of the local government elections on November 4th.
Western Cape Provincial Electoral Officer Michael Hendrickse said that all of the province’s 1,623 voting stations opened on time on Saturday. He confirms that operations went ahead with minimal disruptions.
“Here and there, there were one or two errors with the machines, but those were specifically at one or two stations and we managed to repair those and put them back out again. So overall, the performance of the voting management devices, the staff, etc.—operationally we did very well this weekend.”
Responding to safety concerns following the murder of Democratic Alliance (DA) ward candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe on her way home from a voting station in Dunoon Saturday night, Hendrickse said that the commission is working closely with law enforcement to prevent crime at registration venues.
The IEC has assured the public that security structures are actively monitoring sites to ensure a safe and orderly registration process for all citizens.
Carlo Petersen
www.ewn.co.za