LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Voting by inmates was set to begin more than three hours late at the Witbank prison in Mpumalanga on Wednesday.
Around 10.20am, prison officials allowed police officers and a journalist to enter the prison facility.
Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) officials set up two old and rusty rectangular tables inside a bland room with several posters on the wall.
An IEC banner was placed behind the tables.
Two cardboard voting booths and two boxes were placed on either end of the room.
The rattle of the guards' keys and clattering of leg cuffs could be heard in the prison's passage.
Inside the voting room, officials set up their equipment, checking whether they could read identity documents on their machines.
Earlier, the Economic Freedom Fighters in the province accused the IEC of breaching its own laws by not opening its polling stations on time.
"I am deeply disappointed," EFF party agent Repo Collins Leutle said.
Them not informing the prison officials (that they will be late) means they've breached their own legislation."
IEC officials who were meant to set up the voting station before 7am had not arrived by 8.30am.
"It must be corrected. We want to see our people cast their votes," said Leutle.
He explained that he and a colleague of his were simply there to observe the voting processes.
Earlier, he was asked to put away his EFF poster which depicted the face of the party's leader, Julius Malema.
A prison official quipped that the IEC took for granted the fact that the prisoners "had no other plans".
"They are doing this 'cause they know they (the prisoners) aren't going anywhere," said the prison official dressed in his brown uniform.
Source : Sapa /nsm/jk/hdw
Date : 07 May 2014 10:49
Around 10.20am, prison officials allowed police officers and a journalist to enter the prison facility.
Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) officials set up two old and rusty rectangular tables inside a bland room with several posters on the wall.
An IEC banner was placed behind the tables.
Two cardboard voting booths and two boxes were placed on either end of the room.
The rattle of the guards' keys and clattering of leg cuffs could be heard in the prison's passage.
Inside the voting room, officials set up their equipment, checking whether they could read identity documents on their machines.
Earlier, the Economic Freedom Fighters in the province accused the IEC of breaching its own laws by not opening its polling stations on time.
"I am deeply disappointed," EFF party agent Repo Collins Leutle said.
Them not informing the prison officials (that they will be late) means they've breached their own legislation."
IEC officials who were meant to set up the voting station before 7am had not arrived by 8.30am.
"It must be corrected. We want to see our people cast their votes," said Leutle.
He explained that he and a colleague of his were simply there to observe the voting processes.
Earlier, he was asked to put away his EFF poster which depicted the face of the party's leader, Julius Malema.
A prison official quipped that the IEC took for granted the fact that the prisoners "had no other plans".
"They are doing this 'cause they know they (the prisoners) aren't going anywhere," said the prison official dressed in his brown uniform.
Source : Sapa /nsm/jk/hdw
Date : 07 May 2014 10:49