Chaos erupted at the Transriviere hall in Alicedale when DA and Cope party agents accused IEC staff of bias toward the ANC.
Chaos erupted at the Transriviere hall in Alicedale when DA and Cope party agents accused IEC staff of bias toward the ANC.
Nombulelo Madikane of Cope, and Veronica Bruintjies of the DA, stormed out of the voting station when numerous complaints they had made to the presiding officer concerning electioneering outside the premises were ignored.
Madikane and Bruintjies were upset that a makeshift ANC stall had been erected in the road outside the voting station, and that the stallholders were “changing people’s votes to support the ANC”, Madikane said.
“Lots of these IEC staff are ANC supporters, which does not make things fair,” said Madikane.
The party agents were not allowed back into the voting station for some time after they had complained, but presiding officer Nosipho Gqotholo said this did not amount to disqualification.
Madikane and Bruintjies also accused ANC officials of manipulating people while giving them lifts to the voting station, a service that ANC members offered to the sick and elderly throughout the day. However, Bukiwe Ncipha, an ANC member who was assisting with lifts, denied the claims.
Michael Mxamleko, the IEC area manager, said things were running smoothly and denied any claims of bias toward the ANC.
