ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES | Voting stations officially closed across SA

• Published date: 01 November 2021
• Publication title: TimesLIVE (Johannesburg, South Africa)

IEC admits low turnout, but says it's too early to tell just how bad it is

As many South Africans fret over the seemingly dismal 2021 local government election turnout, the IEC said on Monday night that it was too early to tell just how good or bad the turnout was.

"I think it is the role of the media to continue to analyse, speculate and to project but from where we are sitting, we would like to remain as scientific as possible. So it might be at an early stage for the commission to make opinion, views and analysis," said IEC chair Glen Mashinini at the national results centre in Pretoria on Monday night.

Mashinini was responding to questions from the journalists on what some of the data collated showed with regards to the voter turnout. He responded by saying that the commission was still collecting the information.

November 01 2021 23:14

Mabuza votes in Mpumalanga ward for ANC candidate on two murder charges

It was fairly quiet at Ajuri Farm when deputy president David Mabuza's motorcade descended upon the voting station in his hometown of Barberton in Mpumalanga.

It was just before midday and the station in Ward 45 had served only a few people — the presiding officer said they were expecting around 100 people by the end of the day.

Mabuza was in and out within a few minutes, and was all smiles when he declared his undying love for the ANC when asked which party he voted for.

November 01 2021 22:10

IEC apologises to Change Party for error in PR ballot papers

The IEC has apologised to the Change Party for an error on the proportional representation (PR) ballot papers in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

According to reports, the party's president Lesiba Molokomme raised the matter with the commission after it was discovered that the party's name had been replaced with that of another party on the PR ballot papers in both metros.

"The commission offers its sincere apologies to the leadership, supporters and voters of Change Party for this error on the ballot," said the IEC's commissioner, Mosotho Moepya.

November 01 2021 21:18

Voting stations officially closed across SA

Voting stations have officially closed across SA.

Stations were open until 9pm, although the IEC confirmed on Monday night that those who were in the line at their voting station at the closing time would still be allowed to vote.

There was also the potential that on a "casebycase basis", the IEC said some voting stations would be allowed to stay open later, depending on the circumstances. This included protests or other glitches earlier in the day affecting smooth running of the stations.

November 01 2021 20:47

Opposition parties want urgent suspension of Monday's curfew

Opposition parties are pressing for a waiver of the national lockdown curfew of midnight on Monday, November 1. This as the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) and political parties hash out extending the closure of voting after issues with the voters' roll.

Siviwe Gwarube, the DA's spokesperson, said the curfew was "an imposition that should be waived tonight considering the fact that the voting stations close at 9pm and there have been widely reported delays with the IEC."

"South Africans should not suffer because there have been incompetencies of both the government and the IEC," said EFF national spokesperson LeighAnn Mathys.

For the full story, visit BusinessLIVE.

November 01 2021 20:39

'First results expected after midnight': IEC's Nomsa Masuku

The first results from this year's local government elections will be known in the next few hours.

The IEC's Nomsa Masuku said: "After voting stations close at 9pm, and voters in the queues have voted, counting will begin. The first results are expected after midnight."

But while many were still queueing to cast their ballots, concerns were raised about low voter turnout across the country.

November 01 2021 18:56

LISTEN | Helen Zille opens assault case after clash with police at EC voting station

Police watchdog Ipid is investigating a case of assault against an Eastern Cape police officer who is accused of dragging DA federal council chair Helen Zille out of the Fernwood Park Primary School voting station in Bethelsdorp on Monday.

An internal police report indicated that Zille had opened a case of assault against the police after the incident.

"According to Zille, due to the long queue, she walked down the line asking people to wait," the report read.

She further stated that when she got to the front of the queue, the ANC observers accused her of canvassing.

November 01 2021 18:38

November 1 2021 17:55

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November 01 2021 16:52

KZN communities dig trenches, lock gates and vandalise a station to stop elections

Road closures, locked gates, trenches and a voting station breakin were some of the incidents that hampered the electoral process in KwaZuluNatal on Monday.

IEC KZN said in a statement on Monday that two voting stations didn't open in Umzinto on the KZN south coast on Monday because the community dug trenches to prevent access.

"One was opened today and this morning the process of moving from the second original voting station to an alternative venue got under way," the IEC said.

November 01 2021 16:50

November 01 2021 16:32

WATCH | Politicians? They're hapless and hopeless, homeless Capetonians conclude

Most of Cape Town's homeless population — estimated at between 4,000 and 14,000 people — will not vote.

Many are on the streets because they were pushed out of their communities for being "troublemakers". Others are simply down and out, and Cape Town is the place where they hoped their luck would finally change.

Nonhlanhla Mncube, 45, who lives in a tiny tarpaulin shack in Sea Point, is one of the thousands of homeless people who do not plan to vote on Monday.

November 01 2021 16:30

'I wish he was here': Mabopane residents vote in the shadow of murdered councillor Tshepo Motaung

In Mabopane, the hometown of slain ward 22 councillor Tshepo Motaung, resident Monika Mokome, 81, said all she wanted was a house.

"I voted for ANC, I will die in ANC. They haven't done everything that we want but the Lord will help us and they will do that. All I want is a house. I don't have a house; I live in a shack. They must build the elderly houses," she said.

In September, ANC councillor Motaung was shot at least 20 times by unknown hitmen in what was believed to be a politically motivated killing.

November 01 2021 16:27

Parties promise to fix infrastructure as water bubbles away under their feet

As politicians continued to push the message that all Johannesburg's voters want is infrastructure that works, none of the three parties contesting one city ward knew anything about a damaged pipe a few blocks from the polling station from which precious water has been flowing for more than a week.

Water from the pipe, which feeds residents and businesses in the leafy suburbs of Parkhurst and Parktown North, has been bubbling up through the road surface since Monday last week when it was first spotted by a TimesLIVE reporter.

DA activist Keith Bone, who was representing the party at the polling station at Parkhurst Primary School on Monday, said he was unaware of the leak.

November 01 2021 15:36

November 01 2021 15:31

Thembisa turnout 'worst ever'

Deep distrust, apathy, wariness and weariness — the mood in Thembisa, Ekhuruleni, on election day is palpable.

IEC officials and the police told TimesLIVE that they had never experienced such empty polling stations on election day. Voter apathy — or, as some described, a sense of anger with the current state of affairs compounded by an overwhelming sense of hopelessness — led to very quiet polling stations across the area.

At the polling station at Ingqayizivele Secondary School, situated in the heart of Thembisa, political party representatives stood outside the premises chatting to each other, with no voters in sight.

November 01 2021 15:08

Smaller parties will 'eat DA's lunch' in Cape Town, says UIM leader

United Independent Movement (UIM) leader Neil de Beer believes the DA will lose its majority in Cape Town.

De Beer said on Monday it was unhealthy for one party to have an overwhelming majority in any council. He is a former member of the ANC. De Beer defected from the apartheid security police to become an ANC operative in the 1980s. UIM is one of the new political parties contesting the 2021 municipal elections.

"The energy at the polling stations is like 1994, I am standing in Mitchells Plain right now," he said.

November 1 — 14:58

Former president Kgalema Motlanthe 'elated' after voting

"Voting is a civic duty and all of us should cast our vote, particularly when it comes to local government. It's a hybrid system, you vote for your ward and you vote for PR. So all South Africans really should be exercising this right," former president Kgalema Motlanthe said after casting his vote in Killarney, Johannesburg.

"There is no reason, really, not to exercise this right, because if for whatever reason you may be disaffected or unhappy with the outgoing councillors, you have a right to choose the one you believe will give you proper services."

November 1 — 14:54

Save your selfies till you're outside the station: IEC

November 1 — 14:36

Election day off to a good start but not without a few hiccups

In an update provided by the IEC on Monday afternoon, the electoral body said the elections had got off to a positive start with more than 99% of the 23,148 voting stations opened on time to kickstart voting in the 2021 municipal elections.

However, the IEC outlined several problem it is looking into...