IEC Officials Evacuated After Party Supporters Storm Ga-Rankuwa Voting Station Over Election Results
- Political party supporters stormed the Rakale Thabong Primary School voting station in Ga-Rankuwa
- The incident occurred in Tshwane's Ward 32, after vote counting ahd concluded and results were announced
- The IEC confirmed the ballot boxes, results slips, and other election materials were secured at a local IEC office
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG — An Independent Electoral Commission voting station in Ga-Rankuwa was stormed by community members and party supporters, forcing staff to be evacuated by police after counting concluded.
An IEC official, speaking on camera to eNCA, confirmed that the incident took place at Rakale Thabong Primary School in Ward 32, located in Ga-Rankuwa Unit 3.
Station stormed after results displeased party members
According to the official, counting at the station had been completed when supporters grew unhappy with the outcome. A group then moved into the station, compelling IEC staff to abandon their posts. Police intervened and transported the officials to the nearest IEC local office.
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The IEC confirmed that all election materials, including ballot papers, ballot boxes, and results slips, were secured and moved to the local IEC office along with the evacuated staff. The official added that the Commission was providing guidance on the way forward.
Ward 32 results reflect a tight race
The IEC had not released results for the specific Rakale Thabong voting station at the time of the incident, but broader ward-level figures placed ActionSA in the lead with 33.6%, followed by the ANC on 28.48% and the DA on 14.91%.
The Ga-Rankuwa incident was also not isolated. The 2026 local government elections saw disruptions in several provinces. In KwaZulu-Natal, MK Party supporters stormed the Dassenhoek Library satellite warehouse in Mariannhill and made similar attempts in Richmond and Pietermaritzburg, with KZN police recording 18 related cases and seven arrests on election day.
In Mpumalanga, a candidate was arrested after storming a station in Ward 30 and damaging electoral materials. Western Cape police also fired warning shots near the Hanover Park Civic Centre after groups attacked officers with stones and bottles.
Other stories about issues at voting stations
- An IEC presiding officer collapsed and died at a voting station in Mahikeng during the first day of special voting.
- A New Brighton man claimed that his elderly, ill mother was refused a special vote at her voting station.
- Late ballot deliveries left 217 voting stations in the Cape Metro unable to open at 8 am on Monday, 2 November 2026.
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Source: Briefly News
