Pretoria – Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, Pansy Tlakula, says she is satisfied that the voting process is continuing smoothly across the country.
Speaking at the voting station in Nkandla a short while ago, Tlakula thanked South Africans for heeding the call to come out in their numbers to vote.
“It is early in the day. We will close [voting stations] at 9pm, but we appeal for South Africans to go now to the stations while it is still early so we avoid the long queues at night, especially in the rural areas where we will have problems with lighting.”
She made a special plea for the youth to vote, saying it was a significant election as it marked 20 years of democracy in the country.
“Voting is a right that many people died for.”
Tlakula assured that the elections would be credible. Where there had been incidents, the commission had taken immediate corrective action.
Regarding reports of incidents in which IEC tents were burnt down last night in Bekkersdal, Tlakula said the commission had planned to deal with such instances.
“We put our tents up last night and in some areas they were burnt down so we had to source tents and pitch them this morning. So in those areas we started late.”
Regarding the elderly being assisted at voting stations, she said IEC staff had been well trained to accommodate the elderly by assisting them to the front of the queue and putting out chairs for them. – SAnews.gov.za
