The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has confirmed that a presiding officer in eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal was arrested on Monday after allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box.
IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini, briefing the media in Tshwane at the commission’s results operations centre, said the matter was being investigated by the South African Police Service (Saps).
“As reported earlier, a presiding officer in eThekwini metro was actually arrested after allegedly stuffing marked ballot boxes. This matter is now in the hands of the South African Police Service,” he said.
“This incident, which did not affect voting, is a testament to the in-built safeguards in the voting process that also include an active role for party and independent candidate agents,” Mashinini said.
The IEC said it was also satisfied that voting got off to a “smooth and timely” start at most voting stations on Monday.
“The vast majority of the country’s 23 148 voting stations reported being open on time at 7am, and that voting was flowing smoothly,” the IEC said in a statement.
