IEC Electoral Officer Thamsanqa Mraji was in the hot seat on Wednesday morning after political party agents registered numerous complaints against political parties and IEC officers across the province.
Several parties have registered numerous complaints with the IEC, muddying Eastern Cape elections on Wednesday morning.
Provincial Electoral Officer (PEO) Mraji was locked up in a meeting at the East London-based IEC nerve centre since 11.30AM, where representatives of 18 parties based at the centre grilled him on the alleged problems.
Voting was delayed in Sterkspruit on Wednesday morning after an Economic Freedom Front (EFF) agent found a stuffed and unsealed ballot boxes at a voting station. Voters had to wait for 30 minutes outside a Sterkspruit voting station after EFF party agent Xolile Mashaba found the ballot boxes. It was later discovered that the ballot boxes were kept overnight by an IEC presiding officer (PO).
EFF party agent Sabelo Xhotyeni said: "We want the IEC to explain how this happened. The PO claims its special votes, but yesterday the ballot boxes should have been sealed and stored until counting."
Outside the same voting station, ANC members were checking those who had already voted and ticking their names in the voters' roll outside voting stations. They would then give the voters ANC t-shirts.
Other irregularities registered by political parties so far include a voting station in Mdantsane's NU15, allegedly branded with ANC banners and t-shirts despite parties' being barred from setting up anywhere within 500 metres of a voting station.
Opposition parties across East London were dissatisfied with the proximity of ANC displays to voting stations, and said it was a clear violation of the Electoral Act.
In Potsdam, the ANC was spotted with its table inside the voting station yard. Pan African Congress (PAC) councillor in Buffalo City metro Jerome Mdyolo said the ANC should move their table outside the Potsdam voting station yard because this was not allowed.
Agang SA’s Dinah Grop was keeping a watchful eye on the ANC at Buffalo Park’s Billy Francis Hall.
“The ANC set up a table within proximity of the voting station. I objected to the proximity of the table and the advertisement which can influence the voters," she said.
The ANC's electoral coordinator in the province, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, also registered a complaint that ANC supporters and members wearing party t-shirts were reportedly turned away from voting stations when they tried to vote.
Cope's Nosipho Tunyiswa said that in Mnquma's ward 23 party agents were turned away because their party agent forms did not display the party's symbol as required by the electoral code. But another Cope party agent, Thamsanqa Mtshawuzana, said the rule also specified that if the form is an official IEC form and had been authorised by the commission, the logo is a non-issue.
.The IEC did not respond to calls for comment prior to publication.
Alleged irregularities mar start of Eastern Cape elections
Several parties have registered numerous complaints with the IEC, muddying Eastern Cape elections on Wednesday morning.
Provincial Electoral Officer (PEO) Mraji was locked up in a meeting at the East London-based IEC nerve centre since 11.30AM, where representatives of 18 parties based at the centre grilled him on the alleged problems.
Voting was delayed in Sterkspruit on Wednesday morning after an Economic Freedom Front (EFF) agent found a stuffed and unsealed ballot boxes at a voting station. Voters had to wait for 30 minutes outside a Sterkspruit voting station after EFF party agent Xolile Mashaba found the ballot boxes. It was later discovered that the ballot boxes were kept overnight by an IEC presiding officer (PO).
EFF party agent Sabelo Xhotyeni said: "We want the IEC to explain how this happened. The PO claims its special votes, but yesterday the ballot boxes should have been sealed and stored until counting."
Outside the same voting station, ANC members were checking those who had already voted and ticking their names in the voters' roll outside voting stations. They would then give the voters ANC t-shirts.
Other irregularities registered by political parties so far include a voting station in Mdantsane's NU15, allegedly branded with ANC banners and t-shirts despite parties' being barred from setting up anywhere within 500 metres of a voting station.
Opposition parties across East London were dissatisfied with the proximity of ANC displays to voting stations, and said it was a clear violation of the Electoral Act.
In Potsdam, the ANC was spotted with its table inside the voting station yard. Pan African Congress (PAC) councillor in Buffalo City metro Jerome Mdyolo said the ANC should move their table outside the Potsdam voting station yard because this was not allowed.
Agang SA’s Dinah Grop was keeping a watchful eye on the ANC at Buffalo Park’s Billy Francis Hall.
“The ANC set up a table within proximity of the voting station. I objected to the proximity of the table and the advertisement which can influence the voters," she said.
The ANC's electoral coordinator in the province, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, also registered a complaint that ANC supporters and members wearing party t-shirts were reportedly turned away from voting stations when they tried to vote.
Cope's Nosipho Tunyiswa said that in Mnquma's ward 23 party agents were turned away because their party agent forms did not display the party's symbol as required by the electoral code. But another Cope party agent, Thamsanqa Mtshawuzana, said the rule also specified that if the form is an official IEC form and had been authorised by the commission, the logo is a non-issue.
.The IEC did not respond to calls for comment prior to publication.
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