Electoral Commission to allow party testing of results system

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that political parties will be granted direct access to the election results system from October 5 to October 12 to conduct testing with independent experts. This measure aims to identify and remediate systemic issues ahead of the local government elections scheduled for November 4.

IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya stated that the commission has completed end-to-end functionality testing and has engaged external independent auditors to validate key controls and processes. To address technological challenges noted during previous elections, the IEC has also upgraded voter management devices, including handheld scanners used for voter roll verification.

In preparation for the elections, which involve 136,790 certified candidates contesting 10,526 council seats, the IEC has recruited and trained over 53,000 presiding and deputy presiding officers. Additionally, political parties and independent candidates have reaffirmed their commitment to the Electoral Code of Conduct and a code on countering disinformation to ensure fair campaigning and prevent political violence.