2024 General Elections: Voters still making mark on unofficial 2nd day

• The collapse of IEC systems on the crucial day of elections resulted in widespread frustration
• This caused a nationwide delay in voting and one social media user revealed that he ended up voting the following day
• The elections have been marred by similar incidents and voters have called on the IEC to provide some answers
• Briefly News spoke to the IEC for clarity on how these late votes will affect the counting process

SOUTH AFRICA - A plethora of problems plagued the IEC on the election day. These problems including protest action resulting from missing ballot papers, technical glitches and voting stations opening late. As a result, the voting process was delayed, and many ended up voting well beyond the 9pm cut off.

One such vote is X user @_BlackZA, who took to social media to share that he only managed to cast his vote well after 5am on Thursday morning.

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His post read:

"Just voted now now in Hatfield. The IEC is acting like they were told yesterday that we are going to vote, if I get sick yall will pay..."

Social media users react to late voting

Many social media users sympathised with the X user.

@Itu_MM said:

"Tjo I hope you're not going to work."

@bathabilem said:

"For that I know that you cast the right vote."

@Remz_028 said:

"You thugged it out."

@KhanyiKuubz said:

"You did it. I'm super proud."

IEC responds to criticism

Briefly News spoke to the IEC's Mosotho Moepya who dismissed the criticism as unfounded. He emphasised that party agents also have a critical role to play in the electoral process, highlighting their responsibility in upholding transparency and fairness.

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IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo further told Briefly News that the last vote was cast in Arcadia, Pretoria but they were still well on track with the counting.

"We have 7 days to announce the results, so we are still within our schedule."

Voters predict the election outcome

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that as South Africans voted in the highly anticipated national elections, predictions and discussions about the outcome have been widespread. Voter trends suggest a highly competitive race, with the ANC facing significant competition from the DA and EFF. Analysts anticipate a possible coalition if the ANC wins with less than 50% of the vote.

Source: Briefly News