How did elections in South Africa go yesterday?
Curious how elections went yesterday? We have the rundown for you...
South Africa's elections have always been a symbol of our democracy, and yesterday saw our most important election since 1994. For many, making our mark is not only a privilege, but a responsibility.
Despite facing various challenges in the process, it appears that the turnout for this year's elections was one to remember. East Coast Breakfast share a rundown of the events that unfolded across the nation.
Read More: ECR’s top 10 songs that make us feel South African
- KZN experienced a surge of voters
According to the IEC, KZN is one of the province's experiencing a surge in people wanting to cast their vote. It is incredibly heartwarming to learn that our province went out and voted.
- More hands on deck needed and glitches
Across the nation, voting stations were forced to request counting officers, who were due to work later, to arrive earlier. The voter management device (VMDS) had some glitches throughout the day.
- Turnout is estimated to have exceeded the 2019 vote
More South Africans than ever are expected to have hit the polls and made their mark. ECR NewsWatch reports: "Turnout in Wednesday's general election is expected to exceed the previous poll in 2019 poll when 66% of registered voters took part," electoral commission chief Sy Mamabolo said.
- It got heated at Durban City Hall
IOL shares, "it is claimed that some of the voters who were not registered to vote at City Hall attempted to vote, but denied a chance to vote since they did not apply for a Section 24A vote, leading to a heated disagreement."
Read More: Voters in the queue at 9 pm will be able to vote -IEC
- Late night voting
On Wednesday evening, the IEC gave an update as thousands of prospective voters were still standing in snaking queues two hours before closing time. All voters stuck in queues late at night were be allowed to vote. One of our ECR listeners was in a voting queue until midnight!
- No second voting day
Despite the obstacles faced, IEC Chief Electoral Commissioner Sy Mamabolo asserted that extending the election calendar was not feasible.
“We have no plan for a second day of voting. We’ve never entertained such a plan, so voting will happen until it concludes, and until everybody in the queue is given an opportunity to vote,” he shares with EWN.
Prof Kealeboga Maphunye, professor of African Politics, joins us on air this morning at 7:38am to discuss what to expect from this year’s election.
Read More: South Africa snags top spot as World's Friendliest City.
Stay tuned for more as we bring you the latest on the elections.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
More on East Coast Radio:
Image supplied