IEC declares results system fit for purpose a week before local elections

With a week to go before South Africans go to the polls on 4 November, the Electoral Commission (IEC) has declared its results system fit for purpose.

The commission launched its national results operations centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.

It will be the engine room for capturing and releasing results from 23,000 voting stations, and the nerve centre for managing and overseeing the election, allowing representatives of political parties, independent candidates and the media to monitor the integrity of the poll.

Chief executive Sy Mamabolo said the system had been independently tested and audited for robustness and cyber-security resilience. The audit made findings, he said, but they have been remediated, and the commission now considers the system ready.

The assurance carries weight after the 2024 general election, when a technical glitch blanked the leaderboard at the national centre for about two hours.

The commission is also setting up results centres in all nine provinces, and about 2.6 million voters are due to cast special ballots next week.

Sources: Channel Africa, 28 October; EWN, Sunday World.