Electoral Commission on completion of vote counting
30 May 2024
The last ballot was cast in the early hours in the Arcadia Swimbad voting station in Tshwane, thus marking the conclusion of voting in NPE2024. True to its undertaking, the Commission assisted all voters that were in the queue by 21h00.
Just after midnight, the Commission announced the first result. This was in a voting district in the Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality in the Eastern Cape.
For all intents and purposes counting procedures have been concluded with only a few voting stations reported to still be counting at 15h00. The process of results compilation entails ensuring accuracy and validation of the results. This process involves scanning each result slip to create an image of the result, double blind capture of each result slip, auditing of each result slip by independent auditors. The result system was audited externally and parties had occasion to also audit.
By 16h00 results had been concluded for 22,6% of the 23 292 voting districts which represents 2.3 million votes cast. A result is considered complete only when a result slip has been scanned into an image, captured onto the results system, audited by independent auditors and has gone through the automated Result System exception parameters.
The rate of result capture is as follows: Gauteng has captured 28% , Limpopo 26%, North West 36%, Northern Cape 63 %, Free State 56%, KwaZulu-Natal 23%, Mpumalanga 42%, Eastern Cape 58% and the Western Cape 57%.
The Electoral Commission thanks the real heroes of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE2024). They are South Africans who stood in the queues and electoral staff who worked tirelessly to process the votes. The commitment and patience shown by the voters and electoral staff demonstrates their commitment to our electoral democracy.
The process to finalise the results of each voting station unfolds as follows:
Once the results have been counted and finalised, the presiding officer and party agents will, in the presence of observers, sign the result slip which will then be placed in a tamper-evident bag and transported to the capture centre.
At the results capture centre, a check and balance process will ensue. This includes checking that the result slip is on the correct form, has details of the voting station and those of the presiding officer as well as a voting station unique barcode. It is then captured onto the system using the double blind method.
Using the barcode, the results slip is then scanned and the results are electronically matched with the appropriate voting district.
External auditors will then audit the results slip to ensure that it is captured correctly.
The results are then taken through the Commission’s exception parameters. If an exception is flagged, the results are investigated and taken through the recapture process.
Once the results pass the test, it will then become final and available to political parties, independent candidates and the media.
Once all the results are finalised, the Commission will undertake the seat calculation process, based on a prescribed formula. The full list of the new public representatives will be handed over to the Chief Justice once seat assignment is completed.
While this process is proceeding well, it is important to reflect that historically, in the first 24 hours, 80% of the results would have been finalised. However, the process in the NPE2024 has been slowed down by the third ballot, particularly in the metropolitan areas.
According to the Electoral Act, the Commission has 7 days within which to announce the results. We have always been able to declare and announce the results well within this period and will endeavour to do so with these elections.
Issued by IEC, 30 May 2024
