Votes cast overseas to be counted at the ROC in SA: IEC

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The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Shiburi says the ballots of the votes cast overseas will be transported back to South Africa and be counted at the IEC results operations centre.

Today marks the first day of elections of South African citizens living abroad.

This year, the electoral commission saw a record number of registered voters overseas who have applied to cast special votes, at around 78.000.

🌍South Africans living in the Middle East, your voice matters! Remember to vote in #SAelections24 on 17 May from 7AM-7PM. #SAVotingAbroad

Find your voting station here ↪️ https://t.co/PTQngazJm6 pic.twitter.com/HhvLnoebhj

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) May 16, 2024

The IEC says that given the high number of expected voters in London, at just over 24,000, that station will operate today and on Saturday.

“Importantly, for South Africans abroad, those ballots are not counted at the missions. They are transported via secure channels back to the Republic where we start with the process of verification, to see whether people who voted are those who are entitled to vote,” adds Shiburi.

“We do that in the presence of representatives of contestants and once voting has closed in the country on the 29th, we will start the process of counting those ballots that would have been cast overseas,” explains Shiburi.

Below is the full interview with Masego Shiburi