IEC impressed by the number of South African who voted

The IEC expressed gratitude to the millions of voters who patiently waited in lines, noting that voting stations across the nation experienced a high turnout.

IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela informed a media briefing on Wednesday evening that CEO Sy Mamabolo projected the voter turnout had exceeded 70%, surpassing the 66.06% turnout from the 26.7 million registered voters in the 2019 general elections.

By noon yesterday, the commission anticipated meeting or exceeding a 66% voter turnout by the close of voting at 9 pm. During the briefing, Mamabolo noted a late surge in voter participation, particularly in areas of Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape, some of which had earlier faced service delivery protests. Despite these challenges, the voting stations were eventually opened.

Additionally, the Department of Home Affairs extended its hours until 9 pm to assist voters in collecting or applying for identity documents.

“We are pleased that our efforts are yielding results, with length of the queues substantially reduced,” Mamabolo said.

Mamabolo also told reporters that most glitches reported earlier in the day had been overcome, allowing officials to service voters timeously.

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