Ex-Western Province Rugby Boss Zelt Marais Opens Election Fraud Case After Candidate Gets Zero Votes

• Former Western Province Rugby Football Union president Zelt Marais opened a case of election fraud at Claremont police station on Friday night over Ward 60 vote counting
• Marais questioned how independent candidate Mogamat Rashard Davids received zero votes at Savio Hall when he personally voted for him there on Wednesday
• The TRUTH party demanded an immediate Western Cape-wide recount, saying it could no longer trust the election results after the incident

Former Western Province Rugby Football Union president Zelt Marais has laid an election fraud charge against the Independent Electoral Commission after the candidate he voted for during the 2026 local government elections was recorded as receiving zero votes.

According to IOL, Marais confirmed he opened the case at Claremont police station on Friday night, targeting the counting of ballots at Savio Hall in Lansdowne, a voting station in Cape Town's Ward 60. Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel FC van Wyk confirmed the case had been opened and said the docket would be transferred to Lansdowne police station for further investigation.

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Zero votes despite Marais casting his ballot

Marais voted for the independent ward candidate, Mogamat Rashard Davids, at Savio Hall on Wednesday. Official count forms, signed by counting officer June Franco, show a line through Davids' name with zero recorded in the vote tally column.

In an affidavit submitted to police, Marais said he had reason to believe his vote may not have been properly recorded.

He asked the IEC to compare the number of ballot papers issued against those placed in ballot boxes, examine the original result slips and reconciliation records, and preserve all voting station materials until the complaint is resolved.

On the IEC's live results dashboard, with 89% of the voting district counted, the DA led at Savio Hall with 1,434 votes (53.89%), followed by Al Jama-ah with 467 (17.55%), GOOD with 278 (10.45%) and the ANC with 7.67%.

TRUTH Party calls for Western Cape recount

The Truth and Solidarity Movement (TRUTH) separately lodged a formal objection with both provincial and national IEC officials, demanding an immediate recount across the Western Cape under the party's observation.

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TRUTH leader Mehmet Vefa Dag said every South African voter had the right to have their ballot counted correctly.

Dag called on the IEC to verify whether its electronic results system matched the original result slips signed at voting and counting stations, stressing that the party was not seeking special treatment but basic transparency and accountability.

Marais, who has served a 10-year ban from all rugby activities imposed by SA Rugby for breaching its code of conduct, described the apparent discrepancy as deeply troubling and urged the commission to act before final results are accepted.

Source: Briefly News