IEC centre ready for poll

Everything is on track for the May 7 national and provincial elections, Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) according to deputy chairman Terry Tselane.

"The national results operations centre is now ready to play its part in ensuring that the May 7 elections live up to the expectations of the people of South Africa," he said at the official opening of the centre west of Pretoria.

"This is the nerve centre of the elections and the viewing deck for the world to witness our democracy in action. Building it was an epic undertaking."

There are 450 computers, 300 telephone points, multiple generators for back-up electricity and Wifi capability for 200 concurrent users.

"We also have facilities for 29 political parties, the largest number to ever contest the national elections and to be represented in the results centre," said Tselane.

He said the centre was a symbol of transparency. It would accommodate local and international accredited media houses reporting on the elections.

"We have gone further this year in ensuring that the media and the general public have access to the results as they are released here, Tselane said.

The IEC would provide data in real time to the public, media and political parties.

President Jacob Zuma and several representatives of opposition parties were at the launch and were given a tour of the huge electoral centre.

IEC chairwoman Pansy Tlakula said her organisation would deliver credible polls.

"It now gives me great pleasure to declare the results operations centre for the 2014 national and provincial elections officially open."

She said like previous polls, the May 7 elections would conform to internationally accepted criteria, including impartial administration of the electoral process. - Sapa