Staff ReporterSouth Africa’s national elections faced significant disruptions today as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) experienced widespread failures of its voters’ roll machines. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have expressed grave concerns over the malfunction, which has forced the IEC to revert to using physical voters’ rolls, slowing down the voting process and causing long delays at polling stations across the country.
The EFF has issued a statement highlighting the severe impact of the technical issues, which have led many voters to abandon the lengthy queues and return to their homes or workplaces. The party fears that these disruptions are compromising the democratic process and has called for immediate action from the IEC.
“The failure of IEC voters’ roll machines is gravely worrying as it compromises the accuracy and efficiency of the voting system,” the EFF stated. “Reports indicate that the slow process is leading many people to give up and go home, endangering our democratic process.”
The EFF has urged the IEC to address the issue urgently to ensure the integrity of the election is maintained. They expressed hope that the malfunction is a genuine technical glitch and not an attempt to extend voting to an unplanned second day or allow ballots to remain overnight in the homes of election officials.
In their statement, the EFF called on all voters to exercise patience and resilience in light of these setbacks. “We remind everyone that the opportunity to install competent leadership will be worth the wait,” the EFF said.
EFF officials, including election spokesperson Sixolise Gcilishe and national spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys, are closely monitoring the situation and have demanded swift action from the IEC to resolve the technical difficulties.
The IEC has yet to comment on the specifics of the machine failures but is expected to provide an update soon. The situation continues to develop as South Africans await a resolution to ensure their votes are counted accurately and efficiently.
