Ramaphosa raises concerns about ballot interference

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, voted alongside the residents of Chiawelo in Soweto on Wednesday morning.

 

Upon arrival, a sea of voters at Hitekani Primary School paved the way for the president and his wife, granting them divided attention.

 

While others were excited to see and hear what the president had to say, a large number of people went on to join the queue with no sense of interest.

 

Ramaphosa continued to urge people to cast their votes for the betterment of the country, stating that it was rather essential to exercise the right to decide the political future of the country.

 

However, he said they were concerned that there have been incidents of interference with the ballots.

 

“There was an incident where the police were involved by arresting those that were interfering with the work of the IEC [Independent Electoral Commission],” Ramaphosa said.

 

“The work of the IEC is sacred and should never be interfered with. If you interfere with the work of the IEC, you are really interfering with our democracy.

 

“The will of South Africa should never be obstructed or interfered with in any way whatsoever.”

 

He urged everyone to abide by the prescripts of the electoral law to avoid any illegal attempts to cast votes until the results are finally announced.

 

In a speech on Sunday, Ramaphosa said the country’s law-enforcement agencies and security services have made extensive preparations to ensure that the elections are peaceful and that all South Africans can freely exercise their right to vote.