The delays were attributed to the voter management devices (VMDs) which persistently glitched at several municipalities around the country as voters queued to cast their vote.

Around 2 PM on Wednesday, the IEC sent a circular to presiding officers and area managers, instructing them to ditch the VMDs and to utilise the manual ballot roll if the devices were hindering the voting process.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the devices were not a requirement in terms of the electoral act, but the manual system of the ballot roll was legislated.

IEC volunteers manning the elections said the VMDs – when they worked – were more efficient than the manual system.

Some voting stations were still packed with potential voters who braved the cold winter weather to cast their vote, well after 9 PM.

Meanwhile, early results from traditional ANC strongholds show Jacob Zuma’s MK party edging the ANC by more than five per cent with the IFP in third and the DA in fourth.

In the Western Cape, Gayton Mckenzie’s Patriotic Alliance was showing strong numbers and was eating into the DA’s support.

With 11.3% of the national vote having been counted so far, ANC has garnered 42.8% of the votes, DA has 25.6%, EFF has 8.3%, MK has 7.8, and PA has 4.9%. 

By law, South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has seven days in which to announce full results.

More: Pindula News