South Africa Unveils Results Centre Days Before General Elections

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has officially launched the national results operations centre (ROC) ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections next week.

Located at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand (near Johannesburg) for the first time, the ROC will serve as the primary management hub for electoral operations.

It will also serve as a central hub for political parties, independent candidates, observers, the media and other stakeholders to access real-time election results.

The IEC chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo, said the ROC was a theatre of electoral transparency, dreams and political aspirations.

“Housed at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, this ROC will serve as the beating heart of our electoral processes,” he said.

“This ROC is the foundation on which transparency rests.”

Mamabolo said the results of each voting station, once audited, will be instantly available to political parties and the media through an application programming interface.

He added that an important milestone was reached on Friday when the first votes in the elections were cast at 110 diplomatic missions.

“These elections are not about us, and it is certainly not about our prejudices. An election is about the 27 million registered voters whose political choice we are called to facilitate and record,” Mamabolo said.

“In this regard, we dare not fail.”

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the ROC had a very rich and profound history in the South African election landscape.

“The national ROC stands not only as a physical space but as an estimate of our unwavering commitment to the transparency and integrity of our electoral process,” he said.

Moepya added that transparency lies at the heart of the IEC’s mission, and the capture and verification of the results exemplify their commitment to integrity.

“We refuse to compromise on the legitimacy of election outcomes. Our rapid response system stands ready to address any discrepancies swiftly and decisively,” the chairperson said.

“The acceptability of election results to all contestants is paramount, and we spare no effort in ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.”

South Africa votes on Wednesday, May 29.