The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) reported that 88% of expected results in KwaZulu-Natal had been captured by Friday, with eight municipalities experiencing delays due to recounts, connectivity problems, storms, and a power outage. IEC provincial officer Ntombifuthi Masinga stated that of the 14,245 results expected from 5,028 voting stations, 82% had also been audited. The auditing process has largely caught up with the pace of results capturing.
Masinga identified eThekwini as one of the municipalities experiencing delays, mainly due to the high volume of results and several recounts. Recounts were necessary where ballot paper figures did not reconcile, including the number of ballots issued, spoiled, invalid, and valid ballots. The figures must correspond with the initial number of ballot papers issued at each voting station.
Other municipalities affected by delays included uMsunduzi, uMngeni, AbaQulusi, Ulundi, Ndwedwe, Alfred Duma, and uMkhanyakude. Masinga explained that uMsunduzi experienced delays because of recounts conducted at voting stations, while storms affected connectivity in uMngeni and Ndwedwe. In Ndwedwe, the commission was forced to relocate its results capturing site to KwaDukuza due to persistent connectivity problems.
AbaQulusi, Ulundi, and Alfred Duma also experienced slow connectivity, forcing staff to stop working at about 9 pm on Thursday and resume on Friday morning. Masinga said a power outage had also affected connectivity in uMkhanyakude. The commission was working to clear outstanding results and resolve exceptions before releasing the final results.
Providing an update on the affected municipalities, Masinga said results capturing had reached 64% in eThekwini, 40% in uMsunduzi, 70% in uMngeni, 63% in AbaQulusi, 64% in Ulundi, 59% in Ndwedwe, 49% in Alfred Duma, and 67% in uMkhanyakude. She said the commission was encouraged by the progress made on Friday, with most affected municipalities having surpassed 60%.
Masinga stated that the IEC was working to clear outstanding results and resolve exceptions before releasing the final results. She added that the commission was comfortable with the progress and expected the remaining processes to be completed ahead of the formal announcement of the results. The IEC is expected to announce the final results once all processes are complete.
The delays in the eight municipalities were attributed to various factors, including recounts, connectivity problems, storms, and a power outage. Despite these challenges, the IEC reported that progress was being made, and the commission was working to complete the remaining processes as soon as possible.
Key points
- The IEC reported that 88% of expected results in KwaZulu-Natal had been captured by Friday.
- Eight municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal experienced delays due to recounts, connectivity problems, storms, and a power outage.
- The IEC is working to clear outstanding results and resolve exceptions before releasing the final results.
