EFF Godrich Gardee Exposes What Was Found on Mpumalanga Result Slips

EFF deputy president Godrich Gardee has alleged that **Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials manipulated result slips at some voting stations in Mpumalanga, inflating the ANC’s vote count**. He said the party will **open a case against the IEC officials involved and lodge a formal complaint with the commission seeking a recount**. The claims are allegations at this stage, and they have not been independently verified.

Result slips are central to the credibility of an election. At each voting station, the presiding officer and party agents sign a slip showing the counted votes, and copies are used to check results as they move up to the results centre. If a slip were altered, or if the figures captured downstream did not match the slip signed at the station, the integrity of the tally would be in doubt. That is why parties usually compare their own agents’ copies with official figures and raise objections when they see discrepancies.

Mpumalanga is a province where the ANC has historically been very strong, so any claim that its totals were inflated at specific stations will attract close scrutiny. An EFF challenge would also fit a broader pattern this election, in which several parties have contested results at individual stations and wards. Opposition parties have a legitimate right to question results, but the practical question is whether they can produce the specific station numbers, signed slips and agent records that support their claims.

The process for disputing results is set out in electoral law. Parties can lodge objections with the IEC, request recounts at particular stations where there are grounds to do so, and, if necessary, approach the courts. Recounts are normally granted where there are concrete irregularities, such as mismatched figures or missing or altered documents, rather than general suspicion. A complaint about IEC officials could also be referred to the relevant investigative bodies, which would need to establish what happened and who was responsible.

For voters, the issue goes to the heart of trust. An election can only be accepted as credible if the process is transparent and any irregularities are investigated properly. Whatever the outcome of the EFF’s complaint, the IEC will need to respond clearly, publish the relevant figures where possible and show that station-level results can be verified. The party’s next steps, and whether it submits specific evidence, will determine how seriously the claims are taken.

As the count continues, South Africans should treat early claims from all sides with caution and watch for official responses. The clearest test will be whether the complaints lead to documented findings rather than remaining as statements on social media.

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