The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has reported significant progress in the counting and capturing of votes, with Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo confirming that 34.8% of result slips had already been captured by 09:00 AM on Thursday.

Speaking at a media briefing following the closure of voting stations at 21:00 on Wednesday night, Mamabolo praised the millions of South Africans who showed up to cast their ballots.

He emphasised that the subsequent counting, tallying, and verification processes continued through the night under the close watch of party agents and accredited observers to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability.

Mamabolo underscored that counting takes place directly at the voting stations where the ballots were cast.

This protocol serves as a critical watermark for a “free and fair’ election, ensuring every single ballot paper is accounted for, he said.

Following the count, duplicate result slips are created in front of party agents and observers, who are permitted to take photographic images of the slips.

The IEC also captures digital images of these slips to facilitate easy retrieval by contestants if needed.

Once transported in tamper-evident envelopes to local capture centres, the result slips undergo quality assurance protocols, including double-blind capturing of the results slips and full scanning of the slips directly into the electoral system.

Mamabolo explained that the slips undergo auditing by independent auditors across the entire result population, rather than a generic or simple sample audit.

He noted the use of automated anomaly detection to flag irregularities, such as excessive voter turnout or severe variance in votes for a single party across different ballot types at the same station.

The Commission expects a total of 66 073 results slips from local municipalities, metros, and district councils across the country's 23 000 voting stations.

As of 09:00 AM on Thursday, “about 23 444, representing 35.5% of the expected results slips, have been scanned into the results system and 22 983, representing 34.8%, have already been captured. Out of the results slips captured, 16 791, representing 25%, have already been independently audited,” Mamabolo said.

He explained that a total of 18 municipalities had completely concluded their capturing processes, which he said is a substantial improvement from the comparative 2021 election, where only seven municipalities had been completed at the same milestone.

Mamabolo noted that this faster rate of capturing was achieved despite longer ballot papers, a higher number of contestants, and greater overall voter participation.

He announced that about 13 municipalities in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape fully concluded their capturing processes.

The Commission has appealed to political parties, independent candidates, and their supporters to exercise patience as the remaining results unfold.

Mamabolo urged all candidates and political role players to refrain from spreading unverified information or disinformation regarding the election outcomes.

He warned that false narratives could ignite unnecessary tensions, incite violence, and potentially lead to property damage or injuries.