News 19:00

ELECTION BULLETIN 30 May 7 pm

Good evening. I am……..

In this special election bulletin:

# The ANC is still far short of the national 50-percent mark
# The IEC blames the third ballot for the slower finalisation of results
# And the IRR says the IEC must deal with its shortcomings and deficiencies before the next election

# Results are still trickling in at the IEC’s national results operations centre in Midrand, Gauteng. Preliminary national results from a short while ago had the ANC leading with 42.54-percent. The DA followed with 25.40-percent while the EFF was on 8.76-percent. The MK Party and the Patriotic Alliance are among the top five nationally, with 8.38- and 3.91-percent respectively. The MK Party still has a big lead in KZN with 43.12-percent followed by the ANC at 20.20-percent. In the Western Cape, the DA is leading at 51.72-percent followed by the ANC at 20.32-percent. In Gauteng, the ANC has a slim lead with 33.94-percent and the DA at 30.27-percent.

# The Electoral Commission has attributed the slower finalisation of election results to the addition of a third ballot, particularly affecting metropolitan areas. Historically, 80-percent of results would be finalised within the first 24 hours, but the third ballot has slowed this process. Despite the delay, the IEC is working to ensure accuracy and validation through comprehensive checks and audits. Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo remains confident that the results will be finalised within the prescribed seven-day period:

# And finally: The Institute of Race Relations says chaos at some voting stations could lead to voters losing faith in the Electoral Commission, which would have broader implications for the resilience of democracy in South Africa in the medium term. The IRR called for an independent inquiry into the causes of what went wrong at various voting stations yesterday. It says these issues must be resolved before the next Local Government Elections, scheduled for 2026, to preserve the integrity of the IEC and the credibility of South Africa’s democracy.

Stay tuned for more news………….