( MENAFN - Nam News Network) JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (NNN-BUANEWS) – With long snaking queues still seen outside many voting stations across South Africa late last night, the country's electoral management agency said, the turnout in this year's general election is expected to exceed the previous one in 2019. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, also ensured the public that every voter in line, would have an opportunity to cast their ballots by yesterday night. “We are in for a higher turnout than we had in 2019, which is why it is the intention of the commission at this point, to ensure that every voter who is in the queue is given an opportunity,” said IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, when briefing the media on the voting process.
More than 27 million voters were registered to take part in the 2024 national and provincial elections, the most hotly contested since 1994. Over 23,000 voting stations across the country were open from 7.00 a.
m. to 9.00 p.
m. on election day (yesterday). Some voters, including students at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria, had to wait hours before casting their ballots.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader, Julius Malema, spent almost four hours before voting in Seshego, Limpopo province. While some complained that the queues were not moving fast enough, Mamabolo attributed this to a good turnout, saying that, the turnout this year was expected to be better when compared to the 66 per.
