Special voting in Cape Town started badly on Monday 2 November, when late ballot paper deliveries meant 217 voting districts across the metro could not open at 8am as planned.
Voters who arrived early, many of them elderly, were turned away because the ballots had not arrived. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has apologised.
What happened
The affected districts span 33 wards, including areas in Kraaifontein, Atlantis, the City Bowl, Khayelitsha, Wynberg, Constantia, Delft, Athlone, Gugulethu, Philippi and Strand. Some reports describe the 217 as voting stations; the detailed ward breakdown indicates they are voting districts, and we use that term here.
The IEC cited printing and distribution hold-ups, saying there was an unforeseen delay in having all the ballots ready for early voting. Western Cape provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse said voting stations in the outer areas of the province were operating smoothly.
"I want to apologise for the inconvenience to our voters," Hendrickse said.
What the IEC is doing
Hendrickse said the situation remained fluid and that stations were opening as ballots were received at each site. Reports also say the IEC told media that security measures were protecting the routes used to move ballot papers.
Special voting is for voters who have applied and been approved, including the elderly, the infirm and people who will be working on election day. It runs on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November, ahead of general voting on Wednesday 4 November.
What we do not yet know
- How many voters were turned away, and whether they were able to vote later on Monday.
- Whether special voting hours will be extended on Tuesday to make up for the delay. None has been announced in the reports we have seen.
- Whether every affected district had opened by the end of Monday.
- What the delay means, if anything, for the ballots needed on 4 November.
Approved special voters whose station did not open should check with the IEC before travelling again.
