About 12 million South Africans had cast their ballots in the local government elections by 5pm on Wednesday, according to preliminary figures from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). That is roughly 41% of the 29.23 million registered voters, by our calculation, with four hours of voting still to run.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said voters who are already in the queue when stations close at 9pm will not be turned away. Those still waiting at closing time will be allowed to vote.

In a statement, the IEC said: "Voting has progressed well across the country, notwithstanding a few isolated incidents."

Where the votes were cast

The IEC's provincial figures at 5pm, as given by Mamabolo, were:

  • Gauteng: about 3 million
  • KwaZulu-Natal: about 2.5 million
  • Western Cape: about 1.5 million
  • Eastern Cape: about 1.4 million
  • Limpopo: about 1.1 million
  • Mpumalanga: about 854,000
  • North West: about 702,000
  • Free State: about 588,000
  • Northern Cape: about 299,000

Earlier in the day the IEC said 3.5 million voters had cast ballots by 10am. About 1.4 million special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday before Election Day.

How the day has gone

The IEC says 98% of voting stations opened on time at 7am. A few opened later because of local protests, and heavy rain affected access in parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The IEC says all stations were operating by 9am.

In the Western Cape, provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse said all 1,623 voting stations opened, with voter management devices causing most of the delays. Extra staff, voting booths and devices were deployed to shorten queues.

The IEC has introduced handheld barcode scanners attached to the voter management devices to speed up verification. It arranged generators and alternative lighting for stations hit by power outages.

On security, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has reported 21 criminal cases and six arrests linked to special voting. Police say they are on standby with the army.

What happens after 9pm

Counting starts at each voting station soon after it closes, with party agents present. Results are captured and sent to the IEC's national results operations centre in Midrand, where they are checked before being declared. Only results declared by the IEC are official. Claims posted on social media or announced by parties before then should be treated as unconfirmed.

For voters still in the queue, the IEC says metros issue two ballots and most other municipalities issue three. Mark a single X on each ballot, because extra marks can spoil it.

What we do not yet know

  • The final national turnout figure, which will only be clear once stations close.
  • When the IEC expects to declare final results. Reports suggest the weekend, but the IEC's own timeline should be confirmed.
  • Whether any stations will still be processing queues well after 9pm.