MBOMBELA – The 2016 municipal elections were the toughest yet faced by the ANC since 1994.
Therefore, the election campaign it embarked on was so intensive to ensure that out of the 26,7 million registered voters nationally, the ruling party received its fair share.
The question is: at the end of counting the ballots, will they walk away with a landslide victory or will their majority share be subdivided among opposition parties and independent candidates this Sunday, when the final announcement is made by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)?
The special votes were reportedly conducted smoothly on Monday and Tuesday and yesterday, Mbombela mayoral candidate, Cllr Sibusiso Mathonsi reported that about 10 voting stations were experiencing dysfunctional scanners, hence the queues were moving slower than anticipated. “We consulted with the IEC and they are working on fixing the problem, but meanwhile, voting is done manually while the problem was being attended to.
“Fortunately, I voted on Tuesday and today I am visiting the various voting stations to ensure smooth, free and fair elections. Overall, from where I stand, the ANC is assured of victory, we will definitely attain victory in all the wards,” he told this newspaper.
It was also reported that the Bushbuckridge Residents Association laid a complaint with the IEC that there was an alleged meeting between IEC officials and some ANC officials in Dwarsloop on Sunday, allegedly plotting how to rig votes in the area. That was thrown out by the IEC for lack of tangible evidence.
ANC volunteers from Ward 17 were hard at work and had to vote on Tuesday during the special votes because yesterday they anticipated knocking door to door, reminding people to go and vote for the ANC.
Also read: Some voters sent back without voting
Member of the branch, NEC member, Mr David Mahlobo, the current minister of state security, accompanied by the PEC member and MPL, Mr Pat Ngomane, central committee member of the SACP and deputy minister, Mr Madala Masuku, regional secretary, Mr Phazamisa Mathe, voted on Tuesday at the Bergland voting station.
In Msholozi, there was a record turnout of people who were eagerly waiting to vote. Two grannies were turned away on Monday as they were not registered for special votes, then again yesterday they were turned again away as their names didn’t appear on the voters’ roll. They have been voting at the same station since they left Phumlani.
Read: Voters registration processes in pictures
The process was slow as voting was done manually. IFP, EFF, DA, ANC representatives monitored the process.
In Matsulu where one voting station’s scanner was dysfunctional, voting was done manually, but overall, there was a major turnout of people who enthusiastically came to cast their votes.
In KaNyamazane there was a slow start as people came in one by one in the morning at the time of going to print. However, there was promise of a greater turnout as the day progressed.
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