The Electoral Commission (IEC) says 43 political parties and two independent candidates will contest the elections in Gauteng. The commissions provincial electoral officer Thabo Masemula says preparations ahead of next months elections are on track.
He was speaking at the Commissions Gauteng Province Code of Conduct Signing ceremony in Kempton Park on Tuesday.
I must indicate that we are expecting the first delivery of the ballot papers programme this coming Friday. These ballot papers are the first installment for the metro that is hosting this event today. Close to 90% of our logistics for election day are in place. We are just finalising and tweaking a few things.
Gauteng Provincial Code of Conduct and Pledge Signing Ceremony | Parties and independent candidates contesting in #SAelections24 have signed the pledge. #GetReadyToVote pic.twitter.com/ICTLZEpxMkIEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) April 23, 2024
Masemula says municipalities in Gauteng are exploring all possible ways to minimise the impact of load shedding during elections . He says the IEC is in discussions with power utility Eskom in an effort to better prepare should load shedding occur during the elections.
The IEC has been interacting with Eskom in order to anticipate the impact of load shedding on the electoral process. A key consideration in this regard is the availability of emergency lighting to support the voting and counting process beyond dusk. Today with all municipalities in Gauteng we are therefore exploring whatever contingency plans that weve put in place to protect the elections.
