Cape Town - Opposition parties in Mfuleni Ward 114 have joined the growing number of disgruntled voters raising grievances over the IEC’s handling of the local government elections.
Opposition parties and independent candidates from Ward 114 Mfuleni staged a march to the Khayelitsha IEC offices over what they say were discrepancies in the voting process in the ward, including the use of ANC members as presiding officers, alleged ballot rigging and suspected corruption and collusion by ANC members and IEC officials.
The opposition parties said these grievances were taken up with the IEC, but were ignored.
Good party agent Zimasa Dlelaphantsi, who had registered at the Sakhuluthu voting station in Mfuleni, said she was told that her name was on the voters roll despite her registering at the voting station. She said when she inquired about this, she was told “they don't known”.
Dlelaphantsi alleged that after 9.00pm when voting was concluded and prior the commencement of ballot paper counting opposition party agents were told by IEC officials to wait outside. She said this went on for more than 30 minutes while the officials were inside with an ANC agent.
Dlelaphantsi said upon tallying the ballots they suspected that votes were rigged after the number of ballot papers did not corresponded with the voters roll, and when one of the opposition party agents raised questions, he was threatened by an ANC agent.
An independent agent, Siphosethu Gomomo, said special voting went well, but their suspicions of corruption had started on Monday, even before voting commenced.
“When ballot boxes arrived on Saturday, they were sealed and marked. On Sunday three special voters were helped, but one of the voters’ names wasn't scratched off from the voters roll, and ink wasn't applied, and I raised concerns over this, yet it was brushed off,” Gomomo said.
“On Monday, when a ballot was box was brought in, its bottom was not sealed. We were told that it was for Saturday’s votes, but it had a November 1 date on it. In trying to prove its validity, we requested that it be opened, and inside were 36 spoilt ballot papers. When the final count was made by the end of the voting process, 3 620 spoilt ballot papers were counted, which we also raised questions about,” she said.
IEC provincial spokesperson Trevor Davids said they were aware of the opposition parties’ grievances, and assured that these were being addressed.