The counting of the votes started Wednesday night (29/5) and is still in full swing.

In Kimberley, the IEC is confident that the process will continue to run smoothly as it has. “We had a beautiful day yesterday, on election day,” said provincial IEC officer, Bonolo Modise.

“Many people came, and almost at the end of the day, there were long lines, and we cannot explain why only around night people were standing in queues to vote.

“It was encouraging to see so many South Africans who came out to vote. The IEC in the Northern Cape did not experience any difficulties with access to stations or material going missing, which is an indication that the IEC is growing well and that the members and staff gave each other space to be able to complete the work that needs to be done,” he said.

“What’s important, is that the staff make sure that the votes are being counted properly so that all parties receive the votes that their supporters gave them,” he said.

Many young people voted on Wednesday (29/5) for the first time.

The ANC is holding onto the province at this stage. Photo: Heidrè Malgas

OFM News spoke to Thuto Makunga at the Newton Primary School in Kimberley yesterday, where hundreds of people were queuing to make their mark. This was one of the busiest voting stations in Kimberley.

Makunga said as a first-time voter the process was scary at first, but the IEC members were very helpful, they were patient with the voters and helped them through the process. She voted because she wants an end to the crisis South Africa faces.

At the time of publishing, the ANC is holding onto the Northern Cape with 39,998 votes, the DA has 20,074, and the PA 8,264.

OFM News/Heidrè Malgas cg