South Africans began casting their special votes in the 2024 national and provincial elections on Monday, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Masego Sheburi, the IEC’s deputy chief electoral officer, briefed the media in Johannesburg about the special voting process, which is available for those who are infirm, have impaired mobility, or wish to vote early due to potential unavailability on the general election day.
The IEC reported that a total of 1,668,076 South Africans have been approved for special votes, including 624,593 voters who will be visited by trained election officers at their homes or places of confinement. The special voting period will conclude on Tuesday.
“As at 2:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) today, an estimated 201,794 voting station visits of special votes were processed in 22,626 service points. The Electoral Commission is happy with the turnout and urges South Africans to continue to go out in their numbers to vote on May 29, 2024,” Sheburi said.
He said that out of the 435 voting stations that experienced problems on Monday morning, only 107 remained closed due to external factors. The IEC is working to ensure these stations will be open on Tuesday.
“The special voting process adheres to all security and integrity protocols of regular voting, including scrutiny by party agents and observers. Special votes will be reconciled against the voters’ roll and the list of approved special votes. Additional checks include the use of a double envelope system to preserve the secrecy of the voters’ ballots,” Sheburi explained.
He added that all special votes will be securely collected and stored overnight before being transported to voting stations on May 29.
Among those who voted on Monday were Minister of Health Joe Phaahla in Limpopo Province and African National Congress Chairperson Gwede Mantashe in Johannesburg. ■
