South Africa special voting day one: nearly 99% of stations open on time, a presiding officer dies at her post
Special voting for South Africa's 2026 local government elections got off to a positive start on Monday, November 2, with voting beginning without incident at most stations across the country, the Electoral Commission (IEC) said.
"The Commission has recorded close to 99% of voting stations having opened on time at 8am," Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner Masego Shiburi told a media briefing at the Results Operation Centre in Midrand. He said voters were being assisted smoothly in most cases, using handheld barcode scanners linked to Voter Management Devices.
Voting started slowly in the City of Cape Town, where by 10:30am stations in only 10 of the municipality's 116 wards had opened for special votes; the Commission said efforts were under way to open the remaining stations. Delays at some Western Cape stations on the first day of special voting had been reported earlier.
The Commission also reported two serious incidents involving election officials. In the uKhahlamba district, a Deputy Presiding Officer was hit by a car while travelling to a voting station and taken to hospital. In the North West, a Presiding Officer collapsed at her post and died. The IEC said it was supporting the affected officials and their families. "Notwithstanding these unfortunate incidents, the Commission is overall establishing a strong performance across the country and expects further improvement on day two of special voting," Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said.
Special voting runs on November 2 and 3, with stations open until 5pm; voters approved for a special vote at a station may vote only where they are registered and must present a Smart ID Card, green barcoded ID book or Temporary Identity Certificate. A station may close after the first day if all approved voters have been served, and will reopen for ordinary voting on November 4.
Ordinary voting takes place on November 4 across 8 metropolitan, 44 district and 205 local municipalities. President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged voters to turn out; 546 parties and nearly 137,000 candidates are contesting the elections.
Related: Delays in Western Cape as South Africa's special voting opens for local elections
Related: Ramaphosa urges South Africans to vote on November 4 as 546 parties contest local elections
(Reported from SAnews, the South African Government News Agency)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：南非选举委员会副首席选举专员 Masego Shiburi 在选举简报会上。南非政府新闻社（SAnews）供图，媒体引用免费并注明出处。 / Photo: IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner Masego Shiburi at an election briefing. Photo by SAnews (South African Government News Agency); free for media use with credit.
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- 2026-11-02South Africa special voting day one: nearly 99% of stations open on time, a presiding officer dies at her postThis story
