IEC confirms sample size for voting audit, vows to declare results soonest

Complaints raised not enough to taint elections - Nelson Mandela Foundation

While this year's elections had some setbacks, the overall results were free and fair. This is according to Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO, Sello Hatong and Jacky Seroke from the National Foundations Dialogue Initiative, who addressed the media at the IEC's national results operations centre in Tshwane on Friday.

More threats of court action from small parties, who have earned around 400 000 votes collectively

A lawyer's letter sent to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) by a group of smaller parties has alleged the elections were not free nor credible. News24 has seen the letter, sent to the IEC on Friday, which seeks to emphasise official objections lodged by the same parties with the IEC.

JUST IN: 

Snapshot of Gauteng as of 6:47pm:

Gauteng has reached 80% mark. 

2247 out of the 2 771 voting districts have been counted. 

ANC still leads with over 1 million votes (50.86%) 

DA has 916 969 (27.15%)

The EFF is still in third position with 486 204 (14.38%) - Canny Maphanga

The letter sets out the reasons why the parties do not believe the 2019 election was free and fair as a result of “various irregularities”, including:

-  Instances of persons who voted multiple times;

-  Voting stations opened late, and one not at all;

-  Voting stations ran out of ballot papers, with voters being asked to come back later;

-   Many indelible ink pens did not work and could be rubbed off easily;

-   Scanners at voting districts not working - Kyle Cowan

If the IEC refuses to do so, the letter sets out that the attorneys will approach the Electoral Court to seek an order compelling the IEC to appoint the auditor and furthermore interdict the IEC from declaring the outcome of the election.

News24 has seen the letter, sent to the IEC on Friday, which seeks to emphasise official objections lodged by the same parties with the IEC. If the IEC refuses to do so, the letter says that the attorneys will approach the Electoral Court to seek an order compelling the IEC to appoint the auditor and furthermore interdict the IEC from declaring the outcome of the election.

BREAKING: 

Smaller parties have threatened to interdict the IEC's results announcement unless it appoints an independent results auditor by 11am on Saturday morning. - Kyle Cowan

JUST IN: 

The IEC's chief electoral officer will provide an update to the media on the vote counting process tonight at 8pm. Media and parties will be hoping for clarity on when the voting process is expected to be finalised as well as how far their sample audit is. 

BREAKING: Two arrested for video on "double voting" - SAPS

FULL STATEMENT:

Media statement issued by the national Joint Operational and Intelligence Struture 

Two arrested for video on "double voting" 

Pretoria : 10 May 2019 - Two people, a journalist and a woman have been arrested after a video was posted claiming that they have cast votes more than once.On the day of the elections, 8 May 2019 Etienne Mare (52) posted a video claiming that he was on his way to vote for a second time after hearing from Malinda Halloway (57) that she had been "able to do so herself".

The Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (JOINTS), in a statement yesterday, promised that all of the social media postings in which people claimed to have voted more than once will be investigated and culprits brought to book.

Today, members for the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga were able to track down the suspects and arrested them.Both Mare and Halloway appeared in the Barberton Magistrates Court today on charges of contravening Section 88 (d) Voting more than once, Section 89 (i)(a) Intentional making a false statement, alt fraud and Section 90(2)(a) Infringement of secrecy.

The arrest of these two suspects brings the total to 24 the number of suspects arrested for the alleged contravention of Electrate Act pertaining to attempted double votes and double votes.These 24 include 17 from Danhauser, 2 from Hluhluwe, one from Izingolweni, one from Sawoti one from Douglas dale and now the two from Barberton.

On the question of the alleged "double votes", that is a matter under investigation by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).We request anyone with information on such contrventions to contact our Crime Stop number 08600 10111. Callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated with strictest confidence. Enquiries : Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo

WATCH: News24 ed and senior political reporter Pieter du Toit and Tshidi Madia unpack Magashule's interview: 

WATCH LIVE: Final stretch as vote counting hits 90%. Here's who won what

All the latest news and analysis from the Electoral Commission of SA's national results centre in Pretoria. Watch live.

WATCH: Hlaudi Motsoeneng tells News24 that his party should have gotten at least 40 000 votes and that the election was rigged. 

WATCH LIVE: Final stretch as vote counting hits 90%. Here's who won what

All the latest news and analysis from the Electoral Commission of SA's national results centre in Pretoria. Watch live.

Magashule, on whether people accused of corruption should be removed from the ANC's Parliamentary lists:

"Don’t judge people before you have heard them, before you apply the principle of innocent before proven guilty. The integrity commission report won’t be ignored but ANC members know their rights."

Ace Magashule tells News24 that he sees the release of journalist Pieter Louis-Myburgh's book, "Gangster state", as part of a plot against him.

"Of course I see it that way. A young man of 27 years talking about my struggle in the trenches… I don’t believe he has written that book."

e-Voting: Election fix or hacker's paradise?

Incidents of double voting and spoiled ballot papers that could fill a few seats in Parliament has begged the question whether SA is ready to roll out electronic voting. Unlike its BRICS counterparts, India and Brazil, and even neighbouring country Namibia - all of which have championed e-voting - SA's electoral commission has stuck to using paper ballots and manual counting, 25 years into democracy.

e-Voting: Election fix or hacker's paradise?

Incidents of double voting and spoiled ballot papers that could fill a few seats in Parliament has begged the question whether SA is ready to roll out electronic voting. Unlike its BRICS counterparts, India and Brazil, and even neighbouring country Namibia - all of which have championed e-voting - SA's electoral commission has stuck to using paper ballots and manual counting, 25 years into democracy.

DA retains Western Cape, but fail to push ANC out of majority in Northern Cape

While the DA has retained the Western Cape, it failed to press the ANC out of an outright majority in the province's northern neighbour, as it had hoped. With all the results in the Western Cape captured, the DA had 55.58% of the vote, compared to the 59.38% it received in the 2014 elections.

WATCH LIVE: Final stretch as vote counting hits 90%. Here's who won what

All the latest news and analysis from the Electoral Commission of SA's national results centre in Pretoria. Watch live.