Election News 20:00

ELECTION BULLETIN 31 May 8 pm

Good evening. I am……..

In this special election bulletin:

# The latest update from the IEC results centre
# The IEC plans to review its staff’s performance
# And, a significant spike has been noted in misinformation and attacks on the IEC’s integrity

# Preliminary national results from a short while ago had the ANC leading with 41.52-percent after 75-percent of voting districs have been processed. The DA followed with 22.26-percent while the MK party was on 12.81-percent. The EFF and the IFP are among the top five nationally, with 9.4- and 3.29-percent respectively. The MK Party still has a big lead in KZN with 44.44-percent followed by the ANC at 18.48-percent with the IFP now third with 18.3-percent. In the Western Cape the DA is heading to victory with 53.22-percent followed by the ANC at 19.18-percent. In Gauteng the ANC is still in the lead with 33.67-percent and the DA at 28.13-percent.

# The Electoral Commission says it will review staff performance following the election. This comes after acknowledging the delays caused by the addition of a third ballot, which slowed the finalisation of results. The review aims to assess how effectively electoral staff managed the voting and counting processes, ensuring future improvements. Despite these challenges, Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo commended the dedication of both voters and staff:

# And, finally: Media Monitoring Africa has noted a significant spike in misinformation and attacks on the integrity of the Electoral Commission. Head of Communications Nomshado Nkosinkulu highlighted the spread of false narratives on social media platforms to discredit the work of the IEC. Speaking at the results centre, Nkosinkulu also noted threats of violence amid voting outcomes:

Stay tuned for more news………….