‘Vote rigging’? IEC clears the air on ‘sudden update’ of election results

Doubt and consternation over the 29 May election results refuses to die down.

Jacob Zuma’s MK party have led the charge in challenging the results presented by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), with a recent shuffle of their results board adding further questions.

Ardent observers of the election results board noticed large increases in the figures on the national results section, prompting queries from those invested.

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The IEC was quick to clarify that it had combined the numbers from the national and regional ballots to come to the new totals.    

“The Electoral Act prescribes that for the calculation of compensatory seats both national compensatory ballots (N) and regional ballots (R) are taken into account. Hence the demotion of N and R on the results board,” clarified IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela.

National and regional ballot allocations

When going to the polls on 29 May, two of the three ballots counted towards the seat allocation for the National Assembly.

Two hundred seats were determined by the national ballot, whereas the regional ballot determined the other 200 seats based on province-specific determinations.

For example, Gauteng’s results accounted for 48 of the 200 seats determined by the regional ballot, while the Northern Cape contributes just five seats.

These allocations were based on the number of votes cast in each province in previous elections relative to the national total.

‘There is no GNU’ – Zuma

MK party leader Jacob Zuma held a media briefing on Sunday to clarify his party’s stance on the Government of National Unity.

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Speaking in Sandton, the former president of the Republic dismissed any notion that the election were free or fair, stating outright that they were rigged.

“We need to educate our people that there is no government of national unity in South Africa. There is a white-led unholy alliance between the DA and the ANC of Ramaphosa,” said MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela on behalf of the party leader.

“It is sponsored by big business and it is for the benefit of the markets and not the people. It must be crushed before it finds its feet,” Ndlela added.