Vote counting has begun at polling stations across South Africa, with the election authority confirming that the process started shortly after the last ballots were cast and that final results are expected to be announced by Sunday.
The counting is being carried out on site at each polling station, where officials will tally the votes before transmitting the figures to municipal tally centres for aggregation. This method is standard for South African elections and is intended to ensure that results are compiled quickly and accurately.
These local elections are widely regarded as critical because they determine control of municipalities, which are responsible for essential services such as water, electricity and local infrastructure. The outcomes will shape governance at the grassroots level for the next five-year term.
The election authority has emphasized that the timetable is tight: with voting concluded on Saturday, the counting will continue through the night and into Sunday, when the consolidated results will be released to the public.
<small>Source: Africanews — read the original story there.</small>
