Sixteen voters have been confirmed to have been arrested in Dannhauser after IEC officials allegedly discovered they had cast their votes at two different voting stations on Wednesday after allegedly removing the so-called indelible voting marking-ink from their thumbs. Earlier, it was stated that 17 were arrested but police said charges have been with held against one man pending further evidence.
KZN IEC spokesperson, Thabani Ngwira, is adamant that all of the votes contained in the ballot boxes at both the voting stations (in Durnacol and at Dannhauser Secondary) the 16 suspects voted in, will still be counted toward the elections results.
“There is no way to confirm which political party they voted for. Once the ballot papers go into the ballot box there is absolutely no way to go back and trace who cast which vote. Anyway, we are talking about 16 people here, compared to the 10 million people who voted nationally. These 16 votes will not have any significant effect on the election results, so there is no reason to discard the vote of everyone else at that voting station,” said Mr Ngwira adding that IEC officials were not suspected of any wrongdoing at this stage.
DA KZN leader, Zwakhele Mncwango, expressed indignation at the IEC’s decision, declaring the 2019 elections the worst ever in the past 25-years of democracy.
“Let me tell you about the value of one vote,” said Mr Mncwango, in response. “One vote is so important that a party can lose a seat in parliament because of just one vote. A party can lose a debate in government as a result of just one vote. A party can lose the opportunity to govern by just one vote. If the voter turnout is 70% in KZN we need 48 000 votes to occupy one seat. If the party you voted for has 48 000 minus 16 votes, your party will not get that seat. The IEC has let our democracy down.”
He added that “justice must play its part. For the election to be free and fair, we need a situation where no-one gets an unfair advantage. If this happened in Dannhauser, who knows how many more people voted twice at other voting stations across the county. We are seriously concerned with the IEC.
Double-voting uncovered in Dannhauser
“It is disappointing that 25 years into democracy, the IEC still does not have a central online system to see if someone has voted or not once you scan in their ID. The ink is a problem. When we used the old ID’s, the IEC used to stamp the ID, which meant that we had another way of ensuring that someone does not vote twice, the ink mark on the thumb and the stamping of the ID. With the ID cards we have taken away one verification process, and now the IEC is using ineffective ink.”
It is believed that the 16 people who were arrested in Dannhauser had filled in the form that allowed them to vote at a voting station they were not registered at, and they had also cast a vote at the voting station that they were registered to vote at.
“The officials became suspicious that such a large group had travelled to a neighbouring voting station, instead of just voting at the station they were registered in. When officials at the second voting station made enquiries, they discovered that their names had already been struck off the voters roll. The suspects had removed the ink off their thumb in order to have the opportunity to vote a second time,” confided a reliable source.
A media statement issued by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure reported that, besides the 16 in Dannhauser, two people were arrested in Hluhluwe, one person in Port Shepstone, and one person in Douglasdale in Gauteng after, “allegedly trying to vote for a second time during the 2019 national and provincial elections.”
“These arrests are indicative that the security features employed by the Independent Electoral Commission to prevent ‘double voting’ from taking place has, in fact, been effective. The four layers of security are effectively implemented to protect the integrity of the election process. Furthermore, people bragging on social media about having cast ‘double votes’ must realize that this is a transgression of the Electoral Act, if not fraud or both,” said spokesperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo
“We have also taken note of the various video clips and messages that have been posted on social media, most of which have been dealt with decisively. In one case IEC officials were immediately relieved of their duties after they were found ‘operating’ from the back of a bakkie. The matter of the election boxes that were found on the side of a road was clarified when people assumed they were voting material, and in other cases people are being charged criminally.”
Those found guilty of election fraud can face jail time of up to 10 years.
In their reaction the ANC’s KZN spokesman, Nomagugu Simelane Zulu, said: “The yearning to cast votes in spite and despite of the few challenges as experienced in various voting stations is a fitting tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for South Africans to have a voice through the ballot and determine the destiny of their country.
“To this end, the ANC commends the IEC for their speedy response in addressing the glitches. The IEC is one of the post-apartheid institutions we are proud of as a country and we are confident of its transparency and it’s ability to deal decisively with all elements that threaten to compromise the credibility of the elections. We ask that the IEC be allowed space to respond to all the queries being raised and not suffer unwarranted attacks that are intended to impugn on its reputation.
“The ANC has noted with concern the chorus of complaints by some political parties about the electoral process, particularly as it relates to reports of double voting, ink removal by some voters and the entire process relating to voting in a voting district where a voter is not registered. The ANC has also made some observations where there were technical glitches in the process and engaged the IEC. However, overall the ANC is pleased with the manner in which the IEC has conducted the election process, given the logistical requirements and the geographical vastness of our country and province.
“We therefore call on the political parties to desist from their opportunistic criticism of the IEC and request them to speedily provide tangible evidence of the reported breaches of the electoral process so that the integrity and credibility of the elections are not marred in anyway. The emerging numbers are not comfortable to some, hence reasons to discredit the IEC are being sensationalised. We ask all those participating in the election to be true democrats in that they should accept their impending defeat graciously and not engage in desperate tactics of discrediting the IEC.
“Once again, the ANC expresses in heartfelt appreciation and humility to all the voters. We wait with bated breath the conclusion of the counting process. We look forward to victory.”
Earlier, IFP leader, Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was quoted as saying :”We urge the IEC to take all allegations seriously and to investigate them without delay. The IFP respects the heavy responsibility cast upon the IEC at this crucial stage of our democratic process, and we support the Commission in fulfilling its responsibility. We will do everything possible to assist, for we are working towards a shared goal of free and fair elections.”
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