Municipal ward by-elections going well: IEC

Municipal ward by-elections around the country got off to a good start on Wednesday, the Independent Electoral Commission said.

"Things are going well. All the voting stations have opened," spokeswoman Kate Bapela said.

Voting stations had opened at 7am and would close at 9pm, except for Ward 21 in Intsika Yethu Municipality in the Eastern Cape, which would close at 7pm.

Bapela said the results would start being released at midnight after votes had been counted, audited and verified.

"By tomorrow [Thursday] morning they should all be out," she said.

The by-elections were being held in eight provinces, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and the Western Cape.

Earlier this week, the IEC said 15 vacant wards would be contested by 50 candidates representing 12 political parties; three were independent candidates.

One by-election each was taking place in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, North West and Western Cape; four were being held in Gauteng; four in KwaZulu-Natal; and two in Mpumalanga.