Overview
- The IEC recorded 1,425,942 special votes over the two‑day window, with 974,852 cast at stations and 451,090 delivered by home visits out of roughly 2.6 million approved applications.
- The commission says all special ballots and election materials have been secured and will be counted together with ballots cast on Election Day once polls close.
- Operational strains showed up as late ballot deliveries that delayed some Cape Town stations, transport problems for home‑visit teams and protests at a Marianhill storage site that required extra police deployments.
- Security incidents included the theft of unmarked ballots and a validating stamp in eThekwini, a presiding officer who collapsed and died in Mahikeng and a deputy presiding officer hit by a car in uKhahlamba, and SAPS has opened investigations.
- Early Election Day turnout was strong with millions voting by midmorning, and the results will shape local coalition talks and public judgment on service delivery and the ANC’s standing.