IEC official dies on first day of special voting in Mahikeng
The Electoral Commission called the first day of special voting a good start, but an official died in North West and another was injured in KwaZulu-Natal.
The first day of special voting in the 2026 local government elections was overshadowed by the death of an election official, The Citizen reported. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) nevertheless described the day as a “positive start” nationwide.
Official dies in North West, another injured
According to The Citizen, an IEC staff member collapsed and died at a voting station in Mahikeng, North West. The cause of death has not been established.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a deputy presiding officer working in the Ukhahlamba area was knocked down by a vehicle while travelling to her voting station. She was taken to hospital. The commission’s Masego Sheburi said support was being given to the affected officials and their families.
Late start in Cape Town
Voters in Cape Town faced problems after ballot papers arrived late. Stations opened at about 10.30am instead of 8am. At first, special voting was available in only ten of the 116 wards in the metro. The IEC said it was working hard to get the remaining stations open.
Conditions improved during the day, and by early afternoon voting in the province was running smoothly, the report said. Sheburi acknowledged that special voting began slowly in the Cape Town metro, but said most voters were assisted more efficiently than before.
New scanners credited
Sheburi credited the improvement to handheld scanners used with digital voter management devices (VMDs), which speed up and tighten the checking of voters. He said the commission had spent considerable effort updating and repeatedly testing the systems so that problems from the previous elections were not repeated. The IEC expects the second day, today, to go better still.
What this means for voters
Special voting is only for people whose applications were approved. Stations were open until 5pm on the first day and will close at the same time today.
Anyone voting should bring one of the accepted forms of identification:
- a smart-card ID
- a green barcoded identity book
- a temporary identity certificate from the department of home affairs
The IEC also urges voters to check their voting station details and their sequence numbers on the voters’ roll before leaving home. Giving the sequence number to officials on election day helps them find your name faster and shortens queues.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
