IEC National Results Operations Centre - With less than an hour remaining for South Africans to cast their votes, the Chief Executive of the IEC, Sy Mamabolo, assured people still queuing at voting stations by the 9pm deadline that they would be allowed to vote.
He emphasised that no registered voter would be denied access to voting stations unless they arrived after the 9pm deadline.
Mamabolo addressed the media on Wednesday evening about the progress made on voting across the country.
Despite the voting period nearing its end, many voters were still casting their ballots.
“No South African will be denied their right to vote,” he said.
He added that the IEC had deployed counting officers to voting stations in advance to help expedite queues, particularly in metropolitan areas across the country.
“We are experiencing a late surge and are processing a large number of voters in certain areas, particularly the metropolitan areas in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape,” he said.
Mamabolo ruled out the possibility of a second day of voting. "We have no plan for a second day of voting. Voting will happen until it concludes and until everyone in the queue (by 9pm) is allowed to vote," he said.
He also anticipated a significant turnout in the 29 May 2024 elections.
IOL Politics