The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has ordered a revote at the Jabulani Community Hall voting district in Ward 3 of the Siyancuma Local Municipality in the Northern Cape, after ballot papers were destroyed before they could be counted.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the decision on Sunday when the commission declared the final results of the local government elections. According to a government news agency report, activists of a political party allegedly stormed the voting station.
What the IEC has done
The commission said it has approached the Electoral Court and has opened a criminal case with the South African Police Service. The revote is ordered in terms of Section 10 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act.
The wider picture
The incident took place in the Douglas area. It came in an election the IEC declared free and fair, with all 213 municipal councils finalised and declared. The commission put national turnout at 52%, up from 45.9% in 2021.
The revote concerns a single voting district, so the national picture is not affected, but the result in a ward can matter in councils where the balance of seats is tight and parties are about to negotiate.
What we do not yet know
The date of the revote has not been announced. The IEC has not named the political party whose activists are alleged to have been involved, and no arrests or charges have been confirmed in the information available. Anyone who is charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We will update this story when the IEC or the Electoral Court says more.
