Parties demand explanation for 'mysterious' IEC dashboard and other glitches

Several political parties have expressed concern after the IEC results dashboard went blank for almost two hours on Friday morning.

The IEC confirmed it had experienced “interruptions” in the replication of data from its national data centre and various results operation centres (ROCs).

But it said the data in the data centre remained intact and the results had not been compromised.

The EFF, however, said this highlights the incompetence and inability of the IEC to safeguard democracy.

“This incompetence was first on the voting day where the VMD machines were not fully functional in many voting stations across the country. This resulted in long lines and a longer voting process which was not properly managed by the institution,” said the party.

It said this warranted an investigation.

“The crash of the results dashboard for such a historical election is concerning and warrants a thorough investigation to ensure transparency and integrity in the electoral process. We call on the IEC to act swiftly in rectifying any technical problems which may arise during this time to maintain the public trust in the democratic process.”

The EFF called on those deployed at IEC capturing centres to be on high alert and report any mischievous developments, saying they were the last line of defence.

The MK Party said the crash was not isolated but part of an ongoing pattern of systematic failures and unexplained occurrences, such as power outages at voting stations during a period when no load-shedding is scheduled.

According to the party, these anomalies raise substantial questions about the integrity of the electoral process and suggest potential misconduct and intentions to rig the elections.

“What is also of concern is how all these systematic failures are occurring at the IEC, when Telkom as their service provider is known to deliver and manage world class tier 1 IT and telecommunications services that shouldn’t lead to these kinds of so-called glitches in the midst of a critical period of vote counting,” MK said. 

“It is profoundly troubling that the IEC, despite its substantial budget and pivotal role, apparently lacks robust backup systems and adequate business continuity plans at such a crucial time.

MK said the timing of the crashes — occurring as vote tallying reached a critical phase and as preliminary results indicated a significant voter shift away from the incumbent ANC — intensified their suspicions.

“Furthermore, the involvement of IEC commissioner Janet Love, a known ally of President Ramaphosa and previously alleged to have manipulated electoral outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, deepens our concerns about the fairness of the electoral oversight.”

The MK Party is calling for the IEC to convene an urgent meeting with representatives from all political parties to explain the ‘"mysterious two-hour business failures” and provide assurance that the anomalies are not attempts to influence the electoral outcomes in favour of Ramaphosa and the ANC.

“We assert that should there be any reasonable doubt, the MK Party is fully prepared to take all necessary measures to prevent any fraudulent activities, including pursuing legal action.

“It is essential these issues are addressed immediately, ensuring that all South Africans have faith in the electoral process and its outcomes,” it said.

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