Mandla Mongo@Matsulu

Motherwell, Eastern Cape: An @IECSouthAfrica official was allegedly caught interfering with an elderly woman's vote by her daughter during yesterday's special voting process. According to the daughter, she accompanied her elderly mother to the voting station but was refused permission by an IEC official to assist her mother with casting her vote. Instead, the official allegedly insisted on assisting the elderly woman herself, despite the daughter's understanding that IEC officials are not permitted to influence or choose a voter's selection. The daughter further alleges that her mother refused to vote for a particular political party, but the IEC official nevertheless marked an X next to that party on the ballot paper without the elderly woman's consent. Upon noticing what had happened, the daughter confronted the official and demanded that the compromised ballot be cancelled. However, the official allegedly refused and threatened to call the police to have the woman escorted out of the voting station. The incident reportedly took place at Ikhwezielihle Primary School in Motherwell NU 6, Voting District (VD) 10250963. This raises serious concerns about the protection of voters' rights, the secrecy of the ballot, and the independence of the voting process. The IEC should investigate the incident urgently and provide clarity on what transpired.