UPDATE: #IMadeMyMark: Voting running smoothly at most stations
RANDBURG – Some minor glitches caused several stations to open late, including in Windsor where a presiding officer was reportedly late to arrive.
UPDATE: 8 May 2019, 9.30am
Boskruin
Reports of a lack of black pens at the Boskruin voting station are untrue. Residents have taken to social media to encourage voters to take their own pens, but staff at the voting stations have refuted the claims, stating that they have sufficient pens for voters.
North Riding
The line to vote at North Riding Secondary School extends from reception, past the stands overlooking the rugby field, to the other side of the field. The line has been long the entire morning, and although it is moving, it is very slow.
The station opened 30 minutes late this morning – the reason for this is unclear at this stage, according to Randburg Sun journalist, Ofentse Moduka.
According to Moduka, the community believes that the elderly, and people with babies should vote during the ‘special vote’ period in the two days leading up to the elections. The community reportedly believes that the privilege of being moved to the front of the line is being abused by some parents – this as the line of voters at the station continues to grow.
Ferndale
Residents of Ferndale came out in their numbers to cast their votes on 8 May, according to Randburg Sun journalist, Reuven Blignault.
The voting station at Bryanston Park opened slightly later than planned, but once the ballot papers arrived, it was all systems go.
Ward 104 councillor, Mike Wood, told Randburg Sun journalists that the computer systems at Randburg Home Affairs was down yesterday, meaning that many people could not get last minute temporary ID’s.
“I received word last night, and managed to escalate the issue. The systems are up and running this morning,” said Wood.
Wood noted that the Department of Home Affairs would stay open today, to accommodate those needing to get temporary ID’s in order to vote.
Windsor
IEC staff at the Windsor voting station were attentive and polite throughout the voting process, according to Randburg Sun journalist Ofentse Moduka. This after a rocky start at the station as voting opened a bit late. The official marking thumbs took special care not to damage manicures when marking thumbs.
Fontainebleau
The line was quite long at Laerskool Fontainebleau when the community set out to vote in the 2019 National and Provincial election, according to Randburg Sun journalist, Neo Phashe.
When Radnburg Sun arrived at the poling station at 8am, party agents established that a delay had occurred because they had received more provincial ballots than national. However ballot papers arrived by 9am and voting could continue as normal.
Another issue occurred when some people received receipts from the scanners which stated that the voter was not registered. They were reportedly told to vote anyway. The voters are reportedly registered, and it seems that the scanners are giving incorrect readings. Randburg Sun is investigating these claims and will report back when we have more information.
INITAIL REPORT: 8 May 2019, 8am
Voting in the 2019 National and Provincial elections is officially underway, and going well, according to journalists at various voting stations across Randburg.
Some minor glitches caused several stations to open late, including in Windsor where a presiding officer was reportedly late to arrive. Voter, Nicky Dell felt that the station was ‘unorganised’, compared to other elections and said that this made her feel uneasy.
Pensioners Hendrik and Yvonne Kirsten shared similar sentiments, having voted more than 10 times in their lives. They complained about having waited 30 minutes before issues at the station were resolved.
In Sharonlea, residents are complaining that scanners are not working, so voters are being broken into groups by surnames. One resident described it as ‘organised chaos’.
Although there are long lines at many of the stations, they seem to be moving quickly, and no major incidents have been reported.
Randburg Sun wants you to join us in being eyes on the ground. Share your photos, videos and stories from the voting lines with us on social media using #IMadeMyMark
