The Electoral Commission (IEC) has denounced threats made against its officials and rejected claims of vote tampering made against its offices in KwaZulu-Natal.
This occurs just a few days before the May 29th national and provincial elections, in which special ballots are anticipated to be cast on Monday and Tuesday.
Regarding the accusations of vote tampering, the commission took note of videos that were making the rounds at its storage facilities in the province’s Chesterville and Hammersdale “with great concern.”
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“To be clear, the movies show our intended storage of election materials and logistical setups as we get ready for the first special voting day on May 27, 2024. These are authorized and lawful arrangements for the bulk distribution of various materials, including ballot papers.
The trucks delivering ballots were supposed to be escorted by SAPS to the nearby storage location as part of prearranged security measures. After that, these storage locations will be supervised around-the-clock. According to a statement from the commission, “This arrangement would ensure that the storage sites are protected against unauthorised entry, burglary, and tempering with election materials. It would also ensure detailed control and recording of all items in storage.”
It also said that access to any storage facility will not be granted to political party members.
“No party shall be permitted admission into the commission’s warehouse premises. The statement stated, “We direct the MK party leadership to vacate the warehouse promptly as the commission must expeditiously finalize the distribution of electoral materials.
Commission Officials Have Been Threatened.
According to the IEC, an official in the same province “was awakened in the middle of the night about large quantities of material kept at the Chesterville Baptist Church voting station.”
Voting booths, voting station banners and signage, and freshly unfolded vote boxes are examples of bulk material. This large amount of election literature was sent to the Cato Manor police station in KwaZulu Natal’s eThekwini.
“The commission’s logistical strategy calls for bulk material delivery to polling places prior to Election Day. As only security supplies, including ballot papers, will be supplied on election day, this is intended to guarantee that polling places open on time, according to the commission.
It Also Vehemently Denounced Any Threats Made Against Its Employees.
“Neither a party nor its representatives are authorized to enter the private residences of election employees. Even worse, neither a party nor its representatives are allowed to seize custody of election-related materials without permission.
“We would want to reassure the public that extra security measures have been put in place to safeguard these diverse storage facilities across the nation. We certify that every election-related item displayed in these films is under the commission’s possession.
“In order to distribute this electoral material to polling places in time for tomorrow, May 27, 2024, special elections, it is being produced.
Since obstruction of electoral activities should not be condoned, the commission is considering taking legal action against the party and the people involved. The IEC stated that this behavior is against the Code of Conduct and other election regulations.
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