SOUTH AFRICA’S ELECTION RESULTS PORTAL CRASHES, QUICKLY FIXED
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has addressed and rectified a temporary disruption that occurred on its results viewing portal. Early on Friday morning, South Africa’s election results portal experienced a significant issue, causing it to go blank for approximately two hours. This disruption was swiftly resolved.
Impact and Resolution
Despite the interruption, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) assured the public that the processing of election results was unaffected. Local offices continued capturing results during the downtime. “All services have since been restored, and the leaderboard is functioning normally,” the IEC confirmed in a statement, emphasizing that the integrity of the results remained intact.
Technological Context
The incident occurred at the IEC’s Results Operating Centre (ROC) in Gallagher Estate, Midrand. This center, equipped with robust digital infrastructure and high-speed WiFi provided by Telkom subsidiaries BCX and Openserve, serves as the hub for political parties, candidates, observers, stakeholders, and the media during the election period.
Preliminary Results
As the portal resumed normal operations, preliminary results indicated that 54.9% of polling stations had reported their counts. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) led with 41.86% of the votes, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) at 23.67%, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at 19.98%. These figures represent a decline for the ANC compared to its 57.5% victory in the 2019 elections, potentially necessitating coalition negotiations by President Cyril Ramaphosa to maintain governance stability.
Technical Assurance
The IEC has not disclosed the exact cause of the glitch but reiterated that the technical issue did not compromise the data’s integrity. The Commission remains committed to transparency and efficiency in processing and announcing the final election results.
Role of the Results Operating Centre
In the broader context of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, the ROC plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth operation and communication. Officially opened last week, this digitally advanced center is designed to facilitate the efficient handling of election data, underscoring the importance of technological infrastructure in modern electoral processes.
Source: Techeconomy
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