By: Ollus Ndomu
Local media including the Daily Maverick and SABC have reported a lower voter turn-out in the ongoing local government elections, with the Independent Electoral Commission –IEC- saying only an estimate of 3.5 million South African cast their ballots by 10:00 GMT.
According to the IEC, only 26 million voters had registered to exercise their franchise to determine which party will have control over cities and towns including Pretoria, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay.
Hours into voting which is due to close at 21:30 local time, glitches had been reported in some voting places with 20 polling stations in KwaZulu Natal failing to open at an agreed time because of widespread community protests.
Authorities say an IEC official has been nabbed for allegedly stuffing pre-marked ballot papers at a polling station in KwaZulu Natal province.
The situation is not different in the Eastern Cape province where 19 polling stations failed to open time due to violence protests.
