OFM News reports there were a few minor issues that delayed the capturing process in the Moqhaka Local Municipality, however, this incident was managed and the capturing of votes continued swiftly.

The Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) spokesperson in the Free State, Mmathabo Rasengane, tells OFM News that the ANC has, yet again, ascertained their dominance in the Free State at various municipalities, including the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. Rasengane adds that the elections in the Free State were conducted effortlessly with no objections from political parties or independent candidates.

“Well, we managed to capture results until late last night and the delay was the scanning of the results slips, including the auditing part of it. That is why we managed to finish and complete by midnight. And today we are announcing all the results in the province,” she said.

OFM News previously reported that the voter turnout dropped to an all-time low during the 2021 local government elections. Rasengane had raised concerns that the low turnout of voters highlights the disinterest in the 2021 Local Government Elections.

According to Rasengane, the most prominent issues developed from network issues experienced at various municipalities in the Free State. “The opening of voting stations late, [was] due to the unavailability of keys at two municipalities, as we have been communicating (Masilonyana and Ngwathe), [as well as the] late arrival of material at some stations. Furthermore, some tents blew [away] due to winds and rain that we experienced on Friday, particularly in the Northern Free State.”

“Our elections would not have been a success without our electoral staff – area managers, presiding officers and their deputies, and all other staff members that took their time to work during this pandemic. Our IEC staff in the provincial office and our municipal electoral officers (MEO), as well as districts, I couldn’t thank you enough for the hard work that you have put in during this time, your families supported you in many ways and we thank them as well for their contribution,” she concludes.

OFM News/ Kekeletso Mosebetsi and Lee Simmons