KWAZULU-NATAL — Law enforcement authorities have launched a burglary investigation following the theft of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) ballot papers from a voting station in eThekwini. The overnight incident in Ward 2 has prompted the electoral body to implement stringent monitoring measures to safeguard the integrity of the voting process.
According to the commission, the breached facility was targeted by individuals who made off with unmarked and unused ballot papers. In addition to the voting slips, the specific stamp used to validate the ballots was also stolen during the break-in.
IEC Deputy CEO of Election Operations, Masego Sheburi, confirmed the incident and stated that the commission is on high alert should the stolen materials surface. Sheburi outlined the security protocols currently in place to neutralize any potential electoral fraud resulting from the theft.
There are 20 voting stations located within Ward 2. The IEC has activated specific tracking measures to ensure that if the stolen ballots are presented at any of these local stations, they will be immediately identified and rejected.
By electoral requirement, every ballot paper must be validated by an official stamp at the back to be considered valid. Sheburi explained that the stolen stamp is highly distinguishable from the standard stamps utilized on regular election days. This is because the compromised stamp was strictly allocated for use only during special voting days, making any unauthorized use of it easily detectable by election officials.
Following the breach, a formal case of burglary has been opened with the police for further investigation. Internally, the IEC has taken disciplinary action; the staff members assigned to the compromised voting station have been relieved of their duties pending an inquiry into their dereliction of security protocols at the facility.
