Long lines formed at the Lutheran Church in Mitchells Plain to vote. (Lisalee Solomons/News24)
- Voters in the Western Cape experienced some delays at polling stations.
- Police presence has been stepped up in Manenberg following the shooting on Wednesday morning.
- Authorities also reported peaceful protests in Cape Town as voting began.
Long queues, problems with Voting Management Devices (VMDs) and a shooting on the Cape Flats were just some of the incidents reported to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Wednesday.
IEC Western Cape electoral officer Michael Hendricks said not all polling stations in the province opened as scheduled on Wednesday morning.
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Speaking at a press conference at the IEC Centre in Cape Town, Hendricks said the last of the province's 1,572 polling stations had been opened by 7.45am on Wednesday.
The delay was reportedly due to staff arriving late.
Additional police were dispatched to Mannenberg after a shooting occurred near a polling place Wednesday morning.
Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the shooting happened on Thames Walk. A 19-year-old man died.
“According to reports, the victim was standing in front of his home when unknown suspects approached and opened fire. The victim sustained gunshot wounds to his body and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. The suspects fled the scene and have yet to be apprehended,” he said.
Twigg said the incident is being investigated as a homicide.
South Africans voted on May 29, 2024. (GCIS/Courtesy)
Offering
Hendrikse said additional police forces were on the scene after the shooting and the scene was peaceful.
There have also been protests in Ocean View, he added.
Twigg said police were monitoring a peaceful march on Wednesday morning where “about 80 women and children were walking in support of Palestine.”
He said:
No police action was taken and the crowd dispersed peacefully.
Police said there were also early morning protests in the Philippines.
Western Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, said officers were out in full force to ensure people could vote safely. He said a small number of protesters had taken to the streets of Philippi and burned tyres in the area.
“Police dealt with the situation and no one was arrested,” he added.
“There have been no reports of intimidation and we will be closely monitoring the scene as millions head to polling stations. I want to assure residents that police's number one priority is ensuring their safety at polling stations.”
Other issues reported at polling places include VMDs not working properly, Hendrix said.
South Africans voted on May 29, 2024. (GCIS/Courtesy)
Offering
He added that officials had been briefed on how to reboot the VMD and if that did not resolve the issue, they had been instructed to use paper voter lists.
He said voting can continue even if the VMD is not functional and the VMD can work offline and upload information once connectivity is established.
Hendrix added that there had been reports of some polling stations only using one ballot box, which would not affect voting but could delay subsequent vote counting.
