ANC STATEMENT ON VOTING TODAY, 26 MAY 1999

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal definitely doesn't take kind to what we observed happening in the province today regarding voting. Our view is that things went pretty out of control in certain areas for which the IEC must provide answers.

1. there doesn't seem to have been proper information sent to the army commanders regarding the day hence some commanders ordered their personnel to vote in the areas where they registered instead of applying for declaration votes. Colonel Greyling gave such an order to about 80 army personnel in Underburg.

2. control of certain Presiding Officers is the IEC's most apparent weakness, this becomes worse when combined with poor training and poor information PO's command. Some of the activities of the IEC personnel today may be illegal. This is based on the following:

• Old people who are not infirm are being allowed to vote. They should be told to come back and vote on June 2. Special votes are for infirm people not old people.
• This application for special votes form is not being filled in.
• There is no consistency on the part of the IEC. Whilst old people and others are voting in other areas, they are being refused in other areas. A key element of a free and fair election is that the same rules apply everywhere.
• The effect in what is happening is that today is a normal voting day in some areas. This goes against the spirit of the Electoral Act, which refers to a single day for voting with exception only in exceptional circumstances.
• Parties were prepared for elections on June 2. They were not prepared for what in effect is a four-day election.

Apart from this, at Nyavini Primary school in Vulamehlo, fourteen people were allowed to vote, using a cardboard as voting box on the basis that the Presiding Officer there say they Some of the stations that allowed everyone to vote are the following:

Mamfene at Ubombo, Mcuthungu primary school near Empangeni, Nkiyankiya near Empangeni and Muden community hall near Greytown.

At some stations, this was stopped after it had started. Other stations had intimidation such as, and ANC party agent left amid extreme threat viz Egazini, Bambanani high school near Pongola, Ekuveleni primary school near Jozini.

Questions that need to be answered are:

Why were so many people allowed to vote illegally? Why were the Presiding Officers left loose? Once more - are all stations secured?

The ANC intends challenging today's process in regard to illegal special votes cast so far. The ANC has already raised concerns with IEC officials both nationally and provincially about the freeness and fairness of elections of elections in some parts of the province.

We call upon the IEC in KwaZulu-Natal to exact strict control over PO's otherwise there will be more irregularities on the 31 May, 1 and 2 June 1999.

Issued by the ANC KwaZulu-Natal Department of Information and Publicity 26 May 1999

Contact Senzo Mchunu, ANC KwaZulu-Natal Election Co-ordinator at 082-3356-256.