Here’s how many citizens cast their ballots in the first 3 hours of voting day

The IEC says roughly 2% of voting stations opened late, with delays of up to two hours due to protests and inclement weather. Millions of South Africans made their way to voting stations early on Wednesday to exercise their democratic right. Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) deputy chief Masego Sheburi said during the IEC’s midday briefing that turnout had been pleasing, with few incidents reported so far. Sheburi said 98% of the almost 24 000 voting stations opened on time, with protests and inclement weather delaying starts by up to two hours in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Mpumalanga. LIVE interactive map, latest news, multimedia and more! View Map The IEC confirmed that as of 10am on Wednesday, 3.5 million voters had cast their ballots. The following approximate turnout numbers were recorded in each province: Gauteng – 895 000 KZN – 623 000 Western Cape – 461 000 Eastern Cape – 431 000 Limpopo – 366 000 Mpumalanga – 252 00 North West 204 00 Free State – 195 000 Northern Cape – 93 000 Sheburi thanked those who had already voted, and encouraged those who hadn’t to get to voting stations to avoid potential congestion. “The commission is particularly encouraged by those voters who made their way to stations early in the morning to avoid the last-hour rushes in the afternoon. “We urge all remaining registered voters to use the remaining hours of voting to cast their ballot and thereby exercise their democratic right and continue to influence affairs in their locality and in their municipalities.” *This is a developing story.