Special voting begins as thunderstorms threaten power and communication services

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned that severe thunderstorms could cause localised disruptions to electricity and communication services in affected areas as special voting gets underway.

SAWS has issued a Yellow Level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms in several areas, including parts of Gauteng and the Free State.

The warning highlights possible localised flooding, damage to property and temporary structures, and disruptions to power supply and communications.

Which areas face severe thunderstorm warning?

According to SAWS, the Yellow Level 1 warning covers:

• Southern parts of Gauteng.
• Eastern parts of the Free State.
• Extreme south-western parts of Mpumalanga.
• Extreme north-eastern escarpment areas of the Eastern Cape.

Could thunderstorms affect special voting?

Special voting takes place on Monday, 2 November, and Tuesday, 3 November, ahead of the main voting day.

The warning raises concerns about possible interruptions to electricity and communication services in affected communities.

However, SAWS has not specifically warned that voting operations will be disrupted, and the weather warning does not mean polling stations will necessarily experience problems.

Why are power and communication services at risk?

Severe thunderstorms can damage electricity infrastructure when lightning strikes equipment or strong winds bring down trees and power lines.

Heavy rainfall can also flood electrical installations, while damaged infrastructure may interrupt mobile network services.

SAWS has identified these as possible impacts of Monday’s thunderstorms. However, the warning does not confirm that any outages have occurred.

What should voters know?

The IEC has approved more than 2.6 million applications for special voting, including voters who will cast their ballots at voting stations and those who qualify for home visits.

Voters should follow official weather updates and announcements from the IEC throughout the two-day special voting period.

Residents in affected areas should monitor SAWS warnings and updates from their municipalities.

Anyone who experiences an electricity or communication outage should report it to the relevant service provider.

The weather warning remains subject to updates as conditions change.