21 April 2009
Please note these guidelines are applicable to all voting stations
permanent, temporary and mobile in South Africa and abroad.
Voting station boundaries
A voting station is made up of the actual âroomâ where voting is taking
place as well as the area around the âroomâ as demarcated by the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa for the purposes of the
elections.
No political activity is allowed within the voting station or the demarcated
area except the casting of votes.
Except with the presiding officer, no interviews may take place within the
boundaries of a voting station.
Please note that except for the voters casting their vote at the voting
station no persons including journalists will be allowed to wear any political
apparel or paraphernalia inside the boundaries of a voting station.
Accreditation to cover elections
Media representatives will not need formal accreditation to gain access to
voting stations but they will be required to identify themselves clearly as
members of the media by presenting a valid press card or letter from their
editor (on the organisations letterhead) in addition to an identity document or
passport.
Members of the media will need accreditation for the Results Operation
Centre (ROC) in Pretoria.
Enquiries:
Lydia Young
Cell: 082 650 8652
Please check with each provincial Results Operation Centre for their
requirements.
Details below are as follows:
Eastern Cape
Enquiries:
Pearl Ngoza
Tel: 043 709 4200
Cell: 083 950 9455
Free State
Enquiries:
Mathabo Mfete
Tel: 051 401 5000
Cell: 083 507 9895
Gauteng
Enquiries:
Solly Kganyago
Tel: 011 644 7400
Cell: 082 568 6122
KwaZulu-Natal
Enquiries:
Thabani Ngwira
Tel: 031 367 9900
Cell: 084 505 5117
Limpopo
Enquiries:
Motsiri Ramafalo
Tel: 015 291 0600
Cell: 072 548 2134
Mpumalanga
Enquiries:
Sibusiso Nkosi
Tel: 013 754 0200
Cell: 072 919 0704
North West
Enquiries:
Sello (Moss) Makodi
Tel: 018 387 6500
Cell: 083 625 9636
Northern Cape
Enquiries:
Elkin Topkin
Tel: 053 838 5000
Cell: 082 650 4261
Western Cape
Contact person:
Trevor Davids
Tel: 021 944 5300
Cell: 084 408 8317
Access times to voting stations
Voting hours in South Africa are from 07h00 to 21h00. No media coverage will
be allowed once the voting stations have closed and counting has started.
Members of the media will be given access to a voting station at the
discretion of the presiding officer of the particular voting station.
Presiding officers are also under no obligation to grant the media access to
the voting station or to discuss the activities in the voting station.
Queries that fall outside of the mandate of the presiding officer will be
escalated to the IEC official spokesperson at the Results Operations Centre in
Pretoria or the particular provincial results operation centre.
Voting stations abroad, i.e. South African embassies, high commissions and
consulates, will be open from 07h00 to 19h00. Media access to missions is
regulated by the head of mission there is no blanket right of admission. Please
liaise directly with the specific mission for arrangements.
Interviews/information at voting stations
In terms of the Section 109 of the Electoral Act, No 73 of 1998, no persons
including the media may print, publish or distribute any exit polls taken in
the elections in process during the hours of voting (07h00 to 21h00).
Voters, party agents, candidates and accredited observers have to be
interviewed outside of the boundaries of a voting station.
Except for the presiding officer no interviews may be conducted with any
other voting station staff/IEC staff at a voting station.
Presiding officers are mandated to talk on the following:
* voter turnout at their voting station
* arrangements for voting at their station.
Media queries on the following topics have to be directed to either the
Media centre at the Results Operation Centre in Pretoria or provincial centres
as appropriate:
* content and number of objections as these are subject to an appeals
process
* activities outside the boundaries of the voting station
* policy matters.
No visuals are allowed inside the boundaries of a voting station without the
permission of the affected voter and the presiding officer.
No visuals are allowed where the secrecy of a voterâs ballot may be
compromised.
Once the results have been finalised at the voting station the presiding
officer may inform the media of the provisional result.
Copies of the results slips will not be made available to the media.
Issued by: Independent Electoral Commission
21 April 2009
