Protests on election day illegal: IEC

The commission briefed the media yesterday on its readiness ahead of the 2019 elections next week.

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Electoral officers warned that while South Africans have the right to protest, they do not have the right to prevent people from voting.

Some groups have indicated a willingness to protest over recent fuel price hikes.

"You do not and you are not allowed to interfere with the business of the electoral commission. Our job is to make sure that every citizen is availed an opportunity to vote and everyone has to co-operate with the electoral commission in order to do that," said the IEC's Nomsa Masuku.

Masuku continued to say the right to protest is protected in law, but it is also illegal to interfere with the processes of the electoral commission.

"It is actually illegal to plan anything that is going to obstruct the IEC from doing its duty."

The IEC says plans are also in place to ensure people can cast their ballots should there be heavy rains or flooding on election day.

Deputy CEO, Masego Shiburi says they are working to ensure access to flood-stricken polling stations in parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

"We have plans working with disaster teams and with SAPS to access voting stations that are inaccessible. The disaster teams in KZN are busy doing some rehabilitation work so we can access voting stations where bridges or roads have been swept away as a result of floods," said Shiburi.

In extreme cases, he says the IEC can step in.

"The commission also has provision and recourse in law to deal with and consider on a case-by-case basis where they cannot guarantee the freeness or fairness of elections owing to localised circumstances."

South Africans will vote on Wednesday, 8th of May in national and provincial elections.

Polling stations will open at 7am. Citizens have until 9pm that night to cast their votes and take part in the country's democracy.