Smooth voting in W Cape

2006-03-01 09:16

Cape Town - Voting got underway smoothly throughout the Western Cape with all 1 441 voting stations reported to have opened on time at 07:00, provincial electoral officer Courtney Sampson said.

"I am very pleased. That's always the first success of the day," he said.

Reports had been very positive and there were no immediate threats of disruption.

And forecasts of rain and rolling electricity blackouts appear to have got voters in Cape Town's sprawling northern suburbs out of bed early on Wednesday.

However, Samson said the IEC had been informed that there would be widespread power outages in Cape Town and the rest of the province.

The IEC had made the correct decision when it planned for the elections "as if there would be no electricity", he said.

Emergency load-shedding would also be taking place, "but this does not phase (worry) us".

While rain was threatening Cape Town earlier on Wednesday, there had been no reports of heavy rain by shortly after 08:00.

Sampson said the electoral code of conduct observer mission in Cape Town had also put in a positive initial report.

Earlier visits to voting stations around Cape Town by Sapa reporters showed no problems were being experienced, although there were very few queues at the polling booths in Table View, Parklands and Milnerton.

- SAPA