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IEC says MK Party supporters tried to enter KZN warehouses

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said no election material was tampered with or compromised. It said about 1.3 million special votes had been cast by midday on Tuesday, ahead of voting day.

The IEC said the alleged attempts to enter its warehouses happened in Richmond, Umkhambathini and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. IEC provincial electoral officer Ntombifuthi Masinga said police intervened and the crowd dispersed.

Deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi said people also tried to impersonate IEC officials at a police station in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape. He said they tried to collect election material. He said the IEC is taking legal steps to hold the people and political parties involved to account.

Of the special votes, 917,000 were cast at voting station sites and 421,000 through home visits. Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the 1.3 million figure was given conservatively. He spoke at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand and said the IEC was ready to open voting stations at 7:00am on voting day.

Key facts

Who
Electoral Commission of South Africa (election management body reporting the incidents); Masego Sheburi (deputy chief electoral officer of the IEC); Ntombifuthi Masinga (IEC KZN provincial electoral officer); Sy Mamabolo (chief electoral officer of the IEC)
What
The Electoral Commission of South Africa reported alleged attempts by MK Party supporters to enter its KwaZulu-Natal warehouses illegally, and an alleged impersonation attempt at a police station in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, during special voting. The IEC said no material was tampered with or compromised, and that about 1.3 million special votes had been cast by midday Tuesday.
When
3 November 2026
Where
Richmond, Umkhambathini, Pietermaritzburg
Status
Reported

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