Empty ballot boxes, stationery stolen at a voting station in KZN

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has confirmed that empty ballot boxes and voting stationery were stolen during a break-in at a voting station in KwaZulu-Natal.

KZN Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga confirmed the incident during a media briefing on Monday, 2 November, in which the Commission provided an update on the first day of special vote administration. Special votes were scheduled to be cast on 2 and 3 November while the rest of the country will vote on Wednesday, 4 November.

BALLOT BOXES STOLEN AT KZN VOTING STATION

During the briefing, Masinga said the voting station at Amahlongwa Community Hall in Zambezi, Umdoni Municipality, experienced a break-in overnight.

She explained that the IEC keeps most of its bulk voting materials at voting stations overnight, while only sensitive and security materials are escorted by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Masinga said the matter was being investigated to establish how the theft occurred despite a security guard being stationed at the premises.

Ballot boxes and some stationery used at the voting station were stolen during the incident.

“A case has been opened at Umkhomazi Police Station and the matter is currently under investigation. It will have no impact whatsoever on the process because we always supply more than enough ballot boxes at voting stations. It didn’t affect the ballot boxes that we lease when we conduct home visits, which is the smaller-sized ballot box being used by the teams conducting home visits,” Masinga said.

LGE 2026 | Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga says ballot papers and stationery were stolen at several voting stations in KwaZulu-Natal, but assures that the incidents will not affect the elections. pic.twitter.com/OBFzwuGjk4

— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 2, 2026

Following the incident in KwaZulu-Natal, elections analyst Terry Tselane told SABC News that the theft of sensitive material such as ballot papers creates an impression and a perception that something untoward is happening in the election.

Tselane said the serial numbers of the ballot papers stolen should be quarantined to prevent them from being used anywhere in the country.