/ 22 April 2009

ANC fuming after 14 voting stations close early

The African National Congress (ANC) in Cape Town cried foul and the party’s election task team head, Chris Nissen, told the Mail & Guardian Online on Wednesday evening they will ”immediately” seek legal advice if the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) does not reopen at least 14 polling stations, which were closed down because there was no electricity.

Nissen said the voting stations were closed down in the last 30 minutes because the IEC did not provide for generators.

”Thousands and thousands of our voters are being turned away. These problems are only happening in the black areas — elections in the white and coloured areas are running smoothly.”

”But in the townships where the ANC supporters are, there are not enough ballot papers and now stations in Khayelitsha, Delft South, Bloekombosch and Barcelona [Gugulethu] have been closed down because there’s not electricity. If this is not resolved, we’re going to court,” a visibly agitated Nissen said.

With only 30 minutes to go to polls closing, Nissen said they have no option but to turn to the court.

At the IEC’s operations room at the Cape Town Convention Centre, IEC provincial head Courtney Sampson was trying to arrange moving voters to operational polling stations.

An ANC official, speaking from Khayelitsha, said that the IEC are ”never well prepared in the townships — every election it’s the same story”. He asked not to be named.