Five suspects face court as IEC orders fresh vote after Douglas election chaos

Ask AI 3minThe IEC has ordered a revote at Jabulani Community Hall voting district in Douglas, Northern Cape, after ballot papers were destroyed before counting could take place during the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Voters at an affected voting station in Douglas, Northern Cape, will have to return to the polls after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) ordered a revote following the destruction of ballot papers before they could be counted during the 2026 Local Government Elections.

The fresh vote will take place at Jabulani Community Hall voting district in Ward 3 of the Siyancuma Local Municipality, after political party activists allegedly stormed a counting station and destroyed election material.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the decision on Sunday evening during the official declaration of the election results at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand.

The commission has not yet announced a date for the revote, with Moepya saying the arrangements would be determined by the IEC.

“The Commission has determined that a revote must be organised in Ward 3, Siyancuma Municipality, for voting district Jabulani Community Hall. This is so because the ballot papers cast at that station were destroyed before the count,” Moepya said.

He said the commission had also approached the Electoral Court and registered a criminal case with the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The incident happened on Thursday, November 5, at Bongani Community Hall in Douglas, where political party supporters allegedly forced their way into the counting station following a dispute over the ballot papers.

IOL previously reported that the IEC had withheld the affected voting station’s results after activists allegedly stormed the venue and destroyed ballot papers before they could be counted.

The IEC’s deputy chief executive officer for electoral operations, Masego Sheburi, confirmed the disruption, saying members of a political party had laid siege to the venue and interfered with the counting process.

“Not only did they storm the counting station, they laid siege to it and interfered and tore at conservative estimates. At least 1 300 ballots were cast at that voting station,” Sheburi said.

He said the commission would have to determine what should happen to the votes already cast.

The destruction of the ballot papers meant the IEC could not complete the counting process or use the affected ballots to establish the result.

The incident also prompted a criminal investigation by the Hawks.

Hawks Northern Cape spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Tebogo Thebe confirmed that six people had initially been arrested, but one was subsequently released after investigators could not link him to the incident.

The remaining five suspects were expected to appear in the Douglas Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Thebe said they faced charges relating to contravention of the Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act, malicious damage to property, assault and intimidation.

The damaged property included ballot papers, police riot shields and the municipal community hall, according to the Hawks.

While the IEC has confirmed that voters in the affected voting district will have another opportunity to cast their ballots, the date and practical arrangements have not yet been announced.

Moepya said the commission would determine the date for the fresh vote.

The revote is provided for under Section 10 of the legislation governing municipal elections, which allows the IEC to order another vote at a voting station where ballot papers have been lost, destroyed or unlawfully removed before counting has taken place.

The fresh vote will be confined to the affected voting district in Ward 3 of Siyancuma Municipality, rather than requiring the entire municipality to vote again.

The IEC’s decision comes after Moepya declared the 2026 Local Government Elections free and fair, despite acknowledging that the electoral process had not been without challenges.