‘Eastern Cape hopes to finalise election results by midnight’

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the Eastern Cape was hoping to finish capturing the results by midnight, according to Khayakazi Magudumana.

The IEC’s provincial elections officer told the media on Thursday morning that the commission started capturing the results after the voting stations closed on Wednesday night.

Magudumana said there were stations that had long queues, like in Nelson Mandela Bay, noting that the last voting stations to wrap up the voting process were in Makhanda.

As results were starting to trickle in on Thursday morning, Magudumana said: “We were concentrating on only one thing, to make sure that every result was captured on the system.

“We have been doing that all night.”

She said the task on Thursday was to make sure that the results were audited before being released to the public.

First to capture results

“Remember that for each election, there are independent auditors that actually audit every result that we capture on the system,” Magudumana said.

She said she was excited that the Eastern Cape was the first to capture results — a fate they were not achieving for the first time during elections.

She said instead, each presiding officer submits all their materials and results to the capturing site so that they are not delayed, with one manager collecting six or seven voting stations.

The presiding officers go to the capturing sites themselves and submit, which works well and makes sure that everything is done quickly.

Speaking from the Results Operation Centre in East London’s International Convention Centre, Magudumana said they were done with counting and only focused on capturing the results.

She said they hope to finish by midnight on Thursday.

Taxi strike in Mthatha

Yesterday, ANC provincial chairperson and premier of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane, condemned sporadic incidents of violence that almost hindered the elections.

He said the taxi industry strike in Mthatha on Monday disrupted the first day of the special votes as the entire town was in lockdown.

Roads between Dutywa and Ngcobo in Xonya village were barricaded, and there were also incidents of intimidation in Alfred Nzo and Port St Johns.

“It’s kind of a silly season where opportunists just use people to cause trouble. There are people who are really not interested in this country moving forward,” Mabuyane said.

“Those are not patriots and do not appreciate the selflessness that was demonstrated and the sacrifices that were made for the voting day.”

He said that in a democracy, in order for elections to be free and fair, people ought to be allowed to go out in numbers and vote “without being intimidated”.