South Africa's IEC Declares Election Results System Ready

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has declared its National Results Operations Centre in Midrand ready for the local government elections scheduled for November 4. CEO Sy Mamabolo announced that the results system, which now operates on a Windows 11 platform, is fit for purpose following independent audits and reviews conducted by five political parties.

To avoid the technical glitches that occurred during the 2024 National Elections, the commission implemented technical optimizations for result transmission and launched a virtual Results Operations Centre to allow remote stakeholder access. Mamabolo stated that findings from the audit process have been remediated, adding that political oversight strengthens the edifice of electoral integrity.

The IEC has deployed 888,000 staff across 23,000 voting stations and expanded its fleet of voter management devices by 14,000. Of the 29.2 million registered voters, approximately 2.6 million are approved for special ballots on November 2 and 3, including more than 600,000 home visits for voters primarily over the age of 60.