Chaos to gang shootout: IEC confident after 62% of Western Cape special voters cast ballots - News24

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is confident it will complete special voting in the Western Cape on Tuesday, despite a chaotic start that left 217 voting stations across the Cape Town metro unable to open on time on Monday.

IEC Western Cape electoral officer Michael Hendricks told News24 that 62% of voters who had successfully applied for special votes had cast their ballots on the first day, and the commission was satisfied with the progress made despite the delays.

He said the IEC expected to complete the process by 17:00 on Tuesday, the second and final day of special voting ahead of Wednesday’s local government elections.

“Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face; for now, we have a high level of confidence in terms of our preparations, but things happen, and we will respond to that as and when they occur,” Hendricks added.

“Overall, if you look at what happened yesterday [Monday], 62% of those who applied for a special vote cast their vote yesterday, so we are overall satisfied with the progress we made notwithstanding the late start yesterday, and we hope to continue today [Tuesday] till 17:00 to get those who haven’t yet voted at the voting stations.

“We are very confident that we will complete the process today [Tuesday].”

Hendricks urged voters who had applied to cast their special votes at voting stations but had not yet done so to make their way to their designated stations before the 17:00 deadline.

“Again, we are urging those voters who did apply to please come to the voting station; otherwise, you will have to come tomorrow [Wednesday],” he said.

“And similarly, to those who applied for a home visit. Be at home because we can arrive at any time and we don’t do call backs.”

The IEC’s confidence comes after a significant logistical setback on Monday, when ballot-delivery delays prevented 217 voting stations across the Cape Town metro from beginning operations at 08:00.

The affected areas included Kraaifontein, Khayelitsha, Strand and Delft, among others.

A total of 2.6 million people have registered for special votes, with 292 000 registered in the Western Cape.

The IEC attributed the disruption to an unforeseen delay by its contracted printing company, following the reprinting of millions of ballots after a Constitutional Court ruling last month allowed previously excluded candidates to contest the elections.

IEC deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi said during a briefing on Monday, 28 million ballots already printed and distributed were no longer suitable for the elections because they did not include all contesting parties.

The IEC subsequently authorised the reprinting of 33 million ballots, with the City of Cape Town’s ballots among the last to be printed.

Sheburi said the printing process had ended on Sunday, but the IEC was experiencing difficulties packaging the ballots to ensure they included all required security features, such as numbering and stitching.

He added that the remaining City of Cape Town ballots had been moved to a centralised storage facility for distribution to voting stations.

The delays prompted concerns among voters and community representatives, particularly after elderly residents who had made arrangements to cast special votes were turned away and told to return on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, security concerns have come into focus after a wanted gang member was arrested following a shootout with police in Manenberg, approximately 150m from a voting station on Ruimte Road.

According to Western Cape police, Anti-Gang Unit members deployed in the area as part of security operations for the 2026 local government elections spotted the 32-year-old suspect who allegedly opened fire on officers when he saw them.

Police returned fire and arrested the suspect, who was found in possession of a firearm fitted with an extended magazine and 32 rounds of ammunition.

The suspect is expected to appear in court on charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

The incident comes as the IEC works with police and other security structures to ensure voting takes place safely on Wednesday, amid ongoing concerns about violence on the Cape Flats.

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