LOCAL ELECTIONS: IEC says ‘aberrations will arise’ during voting but ‘performance will improve’

South Africa’s first day of special voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections concluded on Monday, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) estimating that 780,000 special votes had been cast across the country.Special voting caters for registered voters who may be unable to visit their voting stations on Election Day due to physical impairments, illness or work-related commitments.The commission described the day's proceedings as a positive start, despite challenges in parts of the country, including significant delays at voting stations in the City of Cape Town. Elderly people waiting to cast their vote at a home visit voting station in Sonstraal Heights in Cape Town on 2 November, 2026. Special voting allows eligible voters unable to visit their polling stations on election day to cast their ballots early. (Photo: Gallo Images / Misha Jordaan) During an evening media briefing at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand, IEC national spokesperson Kate Bapela and CEO Sy Mamabolo provided an update on the first day of special voting, confirming that all 217 voting stations affected by delays in Cape Town had subsequently opened and remained operational.Responding to criticism over the challenges on the first day, Mamabolo said that some irregularities were inevitable given the scale of the electoral process.“When you deal with a programme as big as an election, involving 127,000 staff members and 23,000 voting stations, aberrations are going to arise. They will arise in South Africa and in any other context because of the sheer size of the operation.”The IEC provided an update on two incidents involving election officials earlier in the day.In KwaZulu-Natal, a Deputy Presiding Officer was hit by a car while travelling to the uKhahlamba district voting station. The commission confirmed that the official remained hospitalised at the time of the briefing.In North West, a presiding officer collapsed while on duty at her voting station and subsequently died.“Can an election ever be free of aberrations of this nature? I don’t think so. You will have a presiding officer whose car is involved in an accident, or a voting official who is not diligent enough. You are dealing with a programme involving 127,000 people,” said MamaboloDistribution glitchThe delays were attributed to the late distribution of ballot papers, with the commission acknowledging that its distribution process had continued into the early hours of Monday morning and had not been fully completed by the scheduled 8am opening time.“The ballot papers had been printed, but we were still in the process of finalising the distribution. Indeed, that process went into the early hours of today,” said Mamabolo.The IEC said affected voting stations remained open on Monday until 6pm, instead of the usual 5pm closing time, to accommodate as many voters as possible.The commission apologised to voters who had been affected by the delays, while maintaining that the challenges were not politically motivated but rather the result of a pressured ballot paper production and distribution process.“Tomorrow, the whole operation will improve because people have had an opportunity today to put into practice what they learnt in training… So expect a much better and improved performance tomorrow and even a better one on Wednesday,” said Mamabolo.Ballot secrecy concernsThe first day also saw concerns raised about the secrecy of ballots, following a complaint from an SABC political analyst, Kanyi Magubane, who said she had experienced an uncomfortable voting process at Rivonia Village Hall.“I voted, but I didn’t vote comfortably,” said Magubane.She alleged that voting booths were positioned in a way that allowed election officials and other people inside the voting station to see how voters marked their ballots.Responding to the concern, the IEC explained that presiding officers had been instructed to position voting booths in an “ATM-style” arrangement, allowing officials to observe the voting process without being able to see how a voter marked their ballot.The commission said the arrangement was intended to protect the secrecy of ballots while preventing voters from photographing their ballot papers. It said further instructions could be issued to ensure officials did not look over voters’ shoulders while they were casting their ballots.The commission urged voters approved for home visits to remain at the addresses provided in their applications to ensure election officials could locate them. It warned that officials would not return for a second visit if an applicant was not present at the approved address.Special voting continues on Tuesday, 3 November, from 8am to 5pm. The commission has encouraged all approved voters who have not yet cast their ballots to make use of the final opportunity before the main Election Day on Wednesday, 4 November. DM