At least 12 residents across eThekwini have reportedly encountered problems with their applications for home-visit special votes after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) system indicated that their residential addresses did not fall within their registered voting districts.
The issue has raised concerns about the ability of elderly, bedridden and physically disabled residents to participate in the 2026 Local Government Elections, particularly those who depend on home visits because they cannot travel to voting stations.
Sumaya Arumugam of the eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement (ERPM) has called on the IEC to investigate the cases, alleging that discrepancies involving voter registration details and voting-district allocations could be preventing eligible residents from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
According to correspondence shared with Merebank and Chatsworth Tabloid, affected applicants received the rejection message: “Address not in the voting district where you are registered to vote.”
The matter was initially raised in September after two residents at 35 Magaliesberg Street in Shallcross, who require home visits because of physical infirmity or disability, had their applications declined.
Arumugam subsequently reported additional cases involving residents from Shallcross, Longcroft, Clare Hills, Reservoir Hills, Isipingo Hills and Durban.
She requested an investigation into whether the problem was linked to address capture, voter registration records, voting-district mapping or changes to voting-district boundaries following the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) process.
However, IEC KwaZulu-Natal provincial spokesperson and communication officer Thabani Ngwira said voters in wards affected by the demarcation process had been given opportunities to update their registration details before the election was proclaimed.
“She should have re-registered when the Commission initiated Targeted Communication and Registration in the wards that were affected by the MDB process before the Proclamation of the election,” Ngwira said in a message to Merebank and Chatsworth Tabloid.
Ngwira added that the commission had also conducted registration campaigns ahead of the elections.
“The Commission also had a rigorous campaign during the two registration weekends and on social media for voters to check their registration status, to register or re-register where they are affected by the MDB process,” he said.
Arumugam, meanwhile, said the situation was particularly concerning for residents who rely on home visits because of their age, illness or physical disabilities.
“It is deeply concerning that the ward demarcation process appears to have disrupted the special vote home visit application process for registered voters in eThekwini.
“The greatest concern is for elderly, bedridden and physically challenged residents who are unable to travel to voting stations and rely on home visits to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
“These residents now face the possibility of being denied the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Local Government Elections through no fault of their own,” she said.
Arumugam said ERPM had engaged with the IEC after discovering the issue and formally escalated the matter.
“While we were informed that an investigation would be conducted, we are still awaiting a resolution,” she said.
The correspondence shows that an IEC official referred the matter to another official for investigation after receiving details of the affected voters. In subsequent emails sent on October 9, 10 and 12, Arumugam continued requesting feedback, warning that the deadline for special votes was approaching.
An earlier response from the IEC concerning the two Shallcross residents indicated that their residential addresses fell within the Malvern Primary School voting district, while their registrations remained linked to Shallcross.
The IEC explained that home-visit special votes must comply with the legal requirements governing a voter’s registered voting district. It further advised that, if an administrative error had occurred, the residents would need to update their registration details when the voters’ roll reopened.
Arumugam has argued that the underlying discrepancy still needs to be explained, particularly in cases where residents believe they previously supplied or confirmed their residential addresses during registration.
She has called on the commission to establish whether administrative or system-related errors occurred and to clarify what assistance, if any, could be provided to affected voters during the current election process.
“No eligible voter should be disenfranchised because of administrative or demarcation-related complications. We urge the IEC to address this matter urgently and ensure that affected residents are not deprived of their democratic right to vote,” she said.
The IEC’s response highlights its position that voters in affected wards were encouraged to check and update their registration details before the election was proclaimed. However, the specific outcome of the investigation into the reported cases, and whether any corrective action could be taken for the affected residents, remained unclear at the time of publication.
