Stolen ballots put all of eThekwini on alert - News24

KwaZulu-Natal provincial electoral officer Ntombifuthi Masinga says the theft of election materials from Mnyameni Secondary School in Ward 2 in eThekwini has exposed a metro-wide risk because the proportional representation (PR) ballot is the same for every voting station in the metro.

Masinga was speaking at a press briefing at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Wednesday.

Ward 2 covers KwaNyuswa, Mabedlane, Mgandeni, Mgangeni, Mgezanyoni, Nkangala and surrounding areas in the Botha’s Hill and Upper Maphephethe region, with 21 voting stations and 56 candidates on the ballot.

Unused ballots and election security materials, including the certified voters’ roll, were reported stolen at the station overnight. The Electoral Commission of South Africa confirmed that the station had sufficient materials to continue operating and that the voters’ roll had been reprinted. A case of theft has been opened.

“So we have asked all the political parties to be on alert, not only for Ward 2, but for all other voting stations, because the PR ballot is the same for the entire metro,” Masinga said on Wednesday.

“And we are telling people to be vigilant to ensure that the stamp, the number of the stamp that is used, is the correct number for each voting station in the eThekwini metro.”

She said the commission was comfortable with its checks and balances and that any stolen ballot would be easily identified because it would bear the wrong station stamp.

“Anyone who may lay a hand on the ballot paper and utilise the ballot paper that is not issued by our officials at the voting station, it will easily be identified, because it will have a wrong stamp,” she said.

Masinga said verification – when officials check all ballot papers to ensure each bears the correct stamp for its station – would take place just before the count.

The theft at Mnyameni Secondary School was the second reported incident in KwaZulu-Natal this week. On Monday, empty ballot boxes, voting booths and stationery were stolen from Amahlongwa Community Hall in Umdoni during special voting, but no ballot papers or validation stamps were taken.

The Ward 2 theft is considered more serious because it involved actual ballot papers and an official stamp, and because the PR ballot is identical across every voting station in eThekwini.

On the broader election, Masinga said 5 028 voting stations had been prepared across KwaZulu-Natal for 6 022 350 registered voters, with the majority opening on time. She said 50 stations in Ndwedwe were delayed by logistical problems, and three in Umzumbe could not be reached because of inaccessible roads, but that the SAPS and the SANDF were assisting.

Masinga said 234 297 of 362 878 approved special votes were cast over two days, a 65% turnout, and all had been securely stored and would be counted with election day ballots after stations close at 21:00.

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