The Electoral Commission extends its gratitude to South Africans who registered for and cast special votes at 22 626 voting stations and home visits over the past two days. At a point in the course of this afternoon indications are that 937 144 voters had been processed. This figure is much higher than was the case in the previous elections and augers well for turnout tomorrow. Similarly, we are pleased by the diligence of the electoral staff who visited voters at homes and places of confinement to administer home visits. These category of voters would otherwise have not been able to record their political choice.

Voters who for whatever reason were unable to cast a special vote may still vote at a voting station at which they are registered on election day, 29 May.

The Commission thanks South Africans who have assisted and cooperated with electoral officials in the execution of their duties. However, the Commission remains concerned with incidents of unlawful conduct directed at its operations or against electoral officials. Accordingly, we urge all South Africans, including political party members, supporters, and ordinary citizens to allow electoral officials to carry out their responsibilities. The Commission thanks the law enforcement agencies for their support and continued safeguarding of the electoral process. 

Readiness for 29 May 2024 

The lessons and experiences over the two days of special votes were valuable and will be used to further refine operations to positively impact on voter experience for tomorrow, 29 May 2024. The Commission urges all the remaining 26 million eligible voters to go out and cast their votes tomorrow. 

The network of 23 292 voting stations will open for voting at 07h00 and close at 21h00. It is important to emphasise that eligible voters who will be at the voting station at 21h00 will be allowed to vote and not turned away.

We reiterate that voters must vote where they are registered. The general rule in elections is that a person votes at a voting station where they have registered. The only exception to the general rule is that a voter may vote outside of their registered voting district only after notifying the CEO. Notifications in this regard closed on May 17. Approximately 360 000 voters have been approved to vote outside their voting districts. 

The Commission also wishes to remind all eligible voters of the following:

• To bring along valid South African identity document.
• That each voter will be verified on the voters’ roll and marked with ink on the left thumb.
• Each voter will receive three ballot papers: the national, regional, and provincial ballot papers. Voters are reminded to indicate their choices with one mark on each ballot (voters who have given pre-notification to vote at a voting station outside the province in which they are registered will receive only the national ballot).
• That each ballot paper will be validated with a stamp on the reverse.
• That all three ballots must be deposited in the ballot box at the voting station.
• It is prohibited for a voter to take a photograph of their marked ballot paper. This arrangement is necessary to protect the secrecy of the choice of voters and to avoid voters being coerced or unduly induced into making political choices.

We call on registered voters to check the correctness of their voting station. A number of channels are available to assist voters with checking their registration:

• Website
• By SMS ID number to 32810   
• Contact centre on 0800 11800
• IEC App downloadable from Apple and Google app stores.

The Commission is also ready to administer elections at all correctional services facilities throughout the country. Plans have been finalised with the Department of Correctional Services to ensure that eligible inmates can exercise their right to vote.

The South African Weather Service forecasts fair to good weather conditions across the country. However, necessary steps have been taken to manage the potential negative effect of inclement weather on the voting and counting processes.

Furthermore, ESKOM has given assurances that there are no plans for scheduled maintenance work or loadshedding in the period around voting day. Instances of power outages must be reported to ESKOM in the normal course to enable effective responses. 

For voters who may need identity documents, the Department of Home Affairs will operate all its offices between 07h00 to 21h00 to facilitate collection of identity documents and the issuance of temporary identification certificates.

The Commission is confident that all preparations are in place for free, fair elections. 

A key aspect of our preparations included engaging with various stakeholders which includes political parties, independent candidates, the media, security and government structures at all levels, civil society organizations, community organizations, and the voters of South Africa. A number of state entities and municipalities are supporting the logistics of elections.

The Commission welcomes and encourages vigilance by contestants and observers in the electoral process. However, such vigilance must be exercised within the confines of the law. Interference with the unfolding electoral program, logistics handlings or intimidation of electoral staff cannot be justified as vigilance. We further welcome all interventions made by our law enforcement agencies. Two arrests have been effected and at least two cases are being investigated by SAPS for interference with electoral processes. 

It is time now for all of us to work together to ensure that these elections are free, fair, safe, and that the outcome reflects the will of the South African electorate. The Commission applauds political parties and independent candidates for a relatively peaceful campaign. The spirit of tolerance and forbearance must be taken on election day tomorrow.

Our clarion call to all South Africans is let's go out in huge numbers and vindicate our democratic right to vote. It is our democracy, own it!

ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections 
 
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