KZN behaves badly on election day

KwaZulu-Natal has been the most badly behaved province in the country on election day.

Mawethu Mosery, the IEC deputy CEO, told media at an IEC briefing on Wednesday that of the 17 voting stations that hadn't opened by midday, 14 were from KZN.

Protest action had earlier marred access to stations in Umbumbulu, Folweni, Adams Mission, Umgababa, Lamontville, Higginson Highway, Ntuzuma and Cato Manor since the early hours of the morning.

However police responded and cleared the roads of debris and burning tyres.

Mosery said three stations weren't open in the North West and one in the Eastern Cape.

“People have been queuing since early this morning and there have been fears that ballot papers will run out, but we have sufficient material.

“We are happy to report that there have been no incidents of political intolerance which is a good outlook for the electoral process. The only black dot is the protests in KZN."

He said IEC officials would ensure that those standing in the queue to vote after 9pm would be able to vote even if this was at “midnight”.

IEC acting provincial electoral officer Ntombifuthi Masinga said that special forces had been deployed to the Okhahlamba district near the Midlands, where four voting stations had still not been opened following protest action.

It was expected that these stations would be opened shortly.

Masinga said while the IEC acknowledged that people could exercise their right not to vote, this should not infringe on the constitutional rights of people who wanted to vote.

“We appeal to the community not to infringe on the rights of other as they will be dealt with…they are breaking the law.”

She said the IEC was happy with the way the SAPS was dealing with those disrupting elections.

KZN SAPS spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker said six people had been arrested following the protest action in Bergville and Ndwedwe.

He said police were now gearing up for potential disruptions if any voters turned up “drunk and disorderly” at voting stations.