DURBAN, Thursday 5 November 2026 — The Electoral Commission (IEC) has introduced additional ballot verification measures in eThekwini after unmarked ballot papers and an official security stamp were stolen from a voting station ahead of South Africa’s local government elections.
Eyewitness News reported that the materials were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School on Tuesday night, before voting took place on Wednesday.
The incident prompted the replacement of the security stamp and additional checks intended to prevent unauthorised ballot papers from being accepted during counting.
Presiding officer removed
According to the report, sensitive election materials, including the voters’ roll, had allegedly been left in an unsecured guard house at the school.
Police said there had been no overnight security guard at the premises.
IEC representative Ntombifuthi Masinga confirmed that the presiding officer had been removed from the position while police investigated the incident.
The commission also issued replacement security stamp codes and instructed election officials to watch for the use of the previous stamp.
Additional verification measures
The IEC said ballot papers would be checked not only for the presence of an official stamp but also to establish whether the correct security stamp had been used.
At least 20 voting stations in the western region of eThekwini were directly affected by the additional security arrangements, according to Eyewitness News.
The theft raises questions about the handling and protection of election materials, although the incident does not by itself establish that fraudulent votes were cast or counted.
Police investigations are continuing as the IEC verifies election results.
The commission’s handling of the affected ballots will be important in determining whether any further corrective measures are required before the results are finalised.
