Tragedy mars first special voting day as IEC official dies and another injured

Despite the nationwide “positive start” declared by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the first day of special voting was marked by tragedy.

An IEC official collapsed and died at a voting station in Mahikeng, North West.

IEC official dies and another injured

Another official was hospitalised after being hit by a car in KwaZulu-Natal.

In Cape Town, voters encountered challenges due to delays in delivering ballot papers.

As a result, voting stations opened around 10.30am, instead of the scheduled 8am, with only 10 of the 116 wards’ voting stations available for special votes.

The IEC assured voters that “no effort is being spared to ensure that the remaining voting stations open”.

Fortunately, conditions improved later in the day and by early afternoon, the voting process began to run smoothly in the province.

The cause of death of the IEC official in Mahikeng was unknown.

Another official hospitalised after being hit by car

In another incident, a deputy presiding officer in the Ukhahlamba district of KwaZulu-Natal was struck by a car on her way to a voting station and taken to a hospital.

“The commission is providing the necessary support to the affected officials and their families,” said Masego Sheburi, IEC deputy chief electoral officer for electoral matters.

Despite these incidents, the commission announced that it performed strongly across the country and anticipates further improvements on the second day of special voting, today.

“The first ballots have been cast in the 2026 local government elections as special votes get off to a positive start, with voting commencing without incident across the country yesterday,” Sheburi said.

Sheburi said special voting started slowly in the Cape Town metro.

“In the majority of cases, voters have been smoothly assisted with demonstrable improved efficiency.”

Special voting started positively – IEC

He attributed the success to the “efficiency measures, including the introduction of the handheld scanners deployed alongside the digital voter management devices (VMDs) to accelerate voter verification, improve accuracy and streamline the voting process.

“The commission invested a lot of effort in updating the systems, testing and re-testing the performance of the VMDs to ensure that challenges encountered in the last elections are avoided, and voter experience improved,” Sheburi said.

To ensure a smooth voting experience, the commission encourages voters to confirm their voting station details and sequence numbers on the voters’ roll before setting out for their voting stations.

Providing their sequence numbers to election officials on election day will help officials locate voters on the voters’ roll quicker.

Voting stations remained open until 5pm yesterday, and again today, for voters approved to cast their special votes.

The accepted forms of identification include a smart ID card, a green barcoded ID book or a temporary identity certificate issued by the department of home affairs.