The election results management system remains functional and uncompromised as the collation of votes process nears completion at the national Results Operations Centre in Midrand.
This is according to Electoral Commission (IEC) Chairperson Mosotho Moepya, who briefed media on Saturday afternoon.
South Africa took to the polls on Wednesday in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
“The results management process, anywhere in the world in any election, is the most sensitive part of election management,” IEC Chairperson said, calling on electoral stakeholders to remain confident in the integrity of the results management process.
Moepya said the results management process used in the elections was developed in-house and was not a shelf-based product.
“It was developed with specific compliance to our electoral legislation, particularly the Electoral Act.
“We emphasise that it is a system that takes into account the amendments made in the law where the Electoral Commission has engaged service providers in the electoral process. These service providers were procured openly and the award of their services was publicly published,” he told the journalists at the ROC.
According to Moepya, the result systems used in this election were specifically developed and tested.
The IEC also employed the services of professional auditors, Deloitte & Touche South Africa, who then reviewed the system.
“Once Deloitte & Touche had audited the systems and assured us that indeed they do what they're designed to do, that process was open to contestants in the national Political Liaison Committees (PLC). We have a history of doing so. We did not move away from that rich history,” he said.
He said the commission was pleased to indicate that the results systems have remained functional and uncompromised throughout the results compilation process.
The Chairperson said the technical fault with the results’ leaderboards on Friday was “regrettable”.
“It had nothing to do with the tampering or otherwise of the results management systems. It was a technical glitch that was experienced momentarily and it has been resolved.”
He called on all parties and citizens to continue to follow the results systems and bring any faults or errors to the commission’s attention.
“Because this is a transparent process and open to all…where you find faults or errors we were not too distant to look at those.”
IEC said they were currently processing the results and that the few that remain must also complete the audit process and every measure specified for purposes of transparency.
“Grant Thornton, the consortium of auditors we procured for this process, are aware that all of you want a credible outcome to this election.
“They are under no illusion that the job they have to do a solid job and that it’s important to you. It’s important to us and it’s important to the rest of the world.” – SAnews.gov.za
