ELECTIONS 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Zuma’s MK wins Nkandla

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced on Thursday afternoon that it had finished counting the votes.

The commission announced the first result just after midnight on Thursday. The results were from a voting district in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

“The counting of ballots occurs at the voting station where the votes are cast. Party agents, independent candidate agents, and observers oversee the entire counting and results process and are present at all times.”

The commission is now capturing, auditing and quality-assuring the results.

“While this process is proceeding well, it is important to reflect that historically, in the first 24 hours, 80% of the results would have been finalised. However, the process in the NPE2024 has been slowed down by the third ballot, particularly in the metropolitan areas,” said the IEC.

MK taking votes in KZN

Currently, the top three biggest parties are the ANC with 42.34% of the votes, followed by the DA with 23.39%. The new kid on the block, the umKhonto weSizwe party, is in third place with 10.77%.

The EFF is trailing behind Jacob Zuma with 9.62% of the votes, followed by the Patriotic Alliance with 2.8%.

Provincially, the MK party is taking the votes in KwaZulu-Natal. This as the DA took the votes in the Western Cape.

All the other provinces are still ANC strongholds.

Objections and appeals

The IEC said on Thursday that any interested party, including members of the public, independent candidates and political parties, may lodge an objection which is material to the result of an election, with the commission.

ALSO READ: ELECTIONS 2024 LIVE UPDATES: MK overtakes EFF in national polls

A section 55 objection for the 2024 elections must be lodged by 9pm on 31 May via email at S55objections@elections.org.za. Voters can also hand deliver them to Legal Services at the ROC as well as at the commission’s head office.