IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo announced on Tuesday that the final day of special voting for the local government elections is progressing smoothly across all nine provinces, with a conservative estimate of 1.3-million special votes cast by midday.

Speaking at a media briefing, Mamabolo confirmed that all voting stations opened on time at 08:00 and are operating at full capacity alongside fully deployed home visit teams.

By midday Tuesday, about 917 000 voting station-based special votes and 421 000 home visits had been successfully conducted.

The IEC highlighted growing concerns over targeted attempts to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, primarily driven by unverified claims on social media.

Mamabolo said political parties have shared out of context videos showing election staff transferring special ballots from carrying bags into main boxes, which he assured was a standard operating procedure following home visits.

The IEC appealed to political parties to refrain from making inflammatory statements and to use established reporting mechanisms instead of public platforms to report suspected wrongdoing.

The Commission's Information Integrity Hub collaborated with the Real 411 platform to log 34 complaints involving misinformation, disinformation, incitement to violence, and harassment.

Mamabolo explained that X (formerly Twitter) received 58.8% of complaints, TikTok with 23.5% and Facebook and WhatsApp each received 8.8%.

Citizens are strongly urged to verify the context of social posts before sharing.

Misleading or AI-generated electoral content can be reported directly to real411.org.za, Mamabolo said.

The commission noted a sharp increase in prohibited conduct, which has resulted in interventions by law enforcement and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

In Ward 30 of Phake Rankaila, Mpumalanga, a political candidate stormed a voting station and damaged electoral materials. The individual has been arrested.

In KwaZulu-Natal, supporters of the MKP stormed a library satellite warehouse, briefly holding election officials hostage.

Public Order Policing secured the facility, and the group eventually dispersed peacefully. Similar unlawful entry attempts by MKP supporters were noted in Richmond, Umkhambathini, and Pietermaritzburg, Mamabolo added.

In the Eastern Cape, two individuals impersonating IEC officials attempted to access secured election materials at the eNgcobo Police Station.

Positively identified as members of the Ngcobo Yethu Civic Organisation, one impersonator, a PR councillor candidate, has been arrested.

The Commission is taking formal legal steps to bring all identified individuals and political parties to account under the Municipal Electoral Act.

The IEC reminded voters that local government elections operate differently from national and provincial ballots, requiring careful attention to ballot rules to prevent spoilt papers.

Mamabolo explained that for metropolitan municipalities, voters will receive two ballots: a white ballot for the ward election and a yellow ballot for the Metro PR council.

For local municipalities, voters will receive three ballots: a white ballot for the ward candidate (party or independent), a green ballot for the local PR party, and a yellow ballot for the district PR council (representing 40% of the district council).

Mamabolo reminded voters to mark exactly one clear cross (X) in the box next to their choice on each separate ballot.

Additional markings or multiple selections will result in a spoilt ballot, he said.

To ensure secret and independent voting for visually impaired citizens, every voting station is equipped with a Universal Ballot Template.

Presiding officers will assist visually impaired voters by reading out candidate numbers as they align with the template variations to accommodate the specific length of the ballot paper.

Special voting operations and home visits concluded at 17:00 on Tuesday. Registered voters who missed the special voting window are eligible to cast their ballots at their designated voting stations on the main election day, Mamabolo stated.