Three ballot boxes stolen at special voting station in KwaZulu-Natal
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
Three ballot boxes and election equipment were stolen during a break-in overnight at a special voting station in Amahlongwa, KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa’s Electoral Commission has opened an investigation and says the vote is not compromised, as ballot papers and stamps are kept in a secure location.
Three ballot boxes and election equipment were stolen during a break-in overnight at the special voting station at Amahlongwa Community Hall, in the locality of Zambeni, KwaZulu-Natal, provincial electoral officer Ntombifuthi Masinga told IOL. An investigation has been opened and a complaint lodged at Umkomaas police station.
South Africa’s Electoral Commission (IEC) says the theft has not halted the special vote: the stolen ballot boxes and voting booths are not security equipment and can be replaced. Ballot papers and the stamps used to validate them are kept in secure locations, said Mawethu Mosery, the IEC’s national head of stakeholder management.
All 5,028 polling stations in KwaZulu-Natal were involved in the vote, but 40 did not open because there were no special-voting applications in their areas. The province approved 362,878 applications, 58% of which are for voting at a station and the rest for home visits. The IEC is concerned that weather conditions could complicate home visits. The special vote is part of the South African municipal elections on 4 November, for which the IEC had said 99% of stations were operational.
