Blackouts interrupt voting in KwaZulu-Natal

As voting drew to a close in KwaZulu-Natal, electricity went off in several voting stations, rumours of a missing ballot box surfaced and the provincial IFP chairperson was charged with assaulting an ANC party agent.

Angry voters demanded action in Umlazi and Pietermaritzburg when the electricity went off at least four hours before voting ended at 9pm.

Some left their places in the queue and returned home.

Provincial IEC spokesman Thabani Ngwira said area managers were equipped with portable lights and that candles would be used if the electricity did not come back on.

Rumours that a group of men fled with a ballot box when the electricity went off in Pietermaritzburg were not confirmed by the IEC and police.

But police confirmed that provincial IFP chairperson Mbangiseni Yengwa was charged with assaulting ANC party agent Bonginkosi Chonco at a voting station in Greytown.

ANC spokesman Bongani Tembe said he did not know the motive for the alleged assault, however the ruling party condemned it and called for the police to investigate the incident.

KwaZulu-Natal Chief Electoral Officer Mawethu Mosery said voting was running smoothly by 2pm after operational problems were quickly resolved.

Several IEC officials had mistook Koki pens for the voting marker and had marked voters' thumbs with removable ink.

"That matter has been resolved and we have now shown them the correct IEC pens".

Voting at the Ntambana voting station was delayed when the community woke up to a deep trench denying them access to the hall.

Mosery said voters eventually made their way to the station after assistance from the local uThungulu Municipality.

By yesterday afternoon the biggest challenge that the IEC faced was long queues.

"eThekwini and Msunduzi have been experiencing this problem because the bulk of our voters come from there," he said.

Voters, wanting to jump the queue, led to a shortage of the Section 24 A form which allows voters to make their mark outside their voting area.

"Some voters have been looking for the shortest queue so they are going out of their area and this requires Section 24 A forms. We had to print and distribute 300000 additional forms," Mosery said.  

A woman was killed after she was knocked down outside a voting station, near Smero, Bhobhonono area in Pietermaritzburg.