In a surprising turn of events, Umkhonto weSizwe Party which was registered less than a year ago has overtaken the Economic Freedom Fighters from third place. The latest results emerged just before the IEC gave an update on results counting last night.

ONE BALLOT BOX LOST

With the counting of results currently at 51.92% complete nationally and voting counting done at more than 12 000 voting stations, the MK Party was cruising nicely at 10.77 per cent after it went up by over 5%, overtaking the EFF at 6am this morning. The ANC is still leading with 42.34% with DA on 23.39%. Speaking during a media briefing that was held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand in Gauteng last night, IEC general manager Granville Abrahams said that counting would continue throughout last night. "We had a misfortune of losing one ballot box, it is a ballot box that contained counted votes. We are very eager that we will be able to locate it. We don't plan to lose a single ballot box," Abrahams said. He told the media that the box was being transported by a van with no canopy.  "We are able to tell you, the ballot box in question is in ward 14 in Umhlathuze in Richards Bay in KwaZulu Natal. It is inexcusable to find any election material lying around," he said.

DISPUTES

The IEC has also announced that the political parties, independent candidates or members of the public have until 9pm this evening to lodge objections and complaints. "The commission will deal with the issues of disputes and results before the results are announced," Abrahams said. He also touched on the voters who were allegedly turned away from their voting stations. "There are rules in place. We have a constitution to follow. The reason why there is a stipulation is so that we can plan for a voter in terms of ballot papers. We are yet to get proof or complain of a person who said they were turned away at their voting station. We do not shy away from taking responsibility. We will reflect and we will improve," he said. For live updates on the results, visit: https://results.elections.org.za/dashboards/npe/.