Ballot box allegedly abandoned at private residence in Limpopo

It is alleged that a ballot box was found abandoned at a private residence in Malamulele under Collins Chabani Municipality in Limpopo.

The owner of the residence says an IEC officer came to assist her to vote but only to find that her name was not on the list.

After the official left she then realised that the box was left behind and she handed it over to some party agents at the nearby voting station at Xihlovo primary school.

IEC spokesperson, Khathutshelo Radzilani, says the matter has since been resolved. He says the box was grabbed by someone while the officer was on the phone. Radzilani says the officer had gone to the house to assist an old lady to vote.

“As our presiding officer was busy reporting stats to the office one of the people who were there, who is a party agent picked up the box and made a trending video saying here is the ballot box inside is ballot papers it’s left here whereas, it just because the presiding officer was busy reporting stats immediately took that and it was within her possession.”Some party agents alleged that that said woman who was not visited by IEC officers was not a registered special voter and they don’t understand why the officers were at her residence with the ballot box.

Radzilani says at the Tiyani area, some party agents were also refusing IEC officials to do home visitation to assist some special voters but the problem was resolved. While in Musina a group of residents tried to disrupt voting demanding service delivery but police intervened and they dispersed.

“In Musina it just some people that were trying to disturb the operations at a voting station, having something they needed clarity, remember some few weeks ago in Musina there was a water challenge issue that people said if that is not resolved they will disturb the elections but we have sent also the SAPS explanation was given that IEC is very different from service delivery issue and everything is going well now.”

Polling stations are expected to open at seven o’clock in the morning.