2019 ELECTIONS – Reporter's Notebook: Behind the scenes: journalists sit it out at the IEC nerve centre By Nkateko Mabasa Nkateko_Azania
The small parties came from communities and knew people’s struggles. The mainstream media, such as SABC, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika, had failed to uplift these parties and to inform people of the many options, she said.
The IEC needed to incorporate fourth industrial revolution technology into the voting process, she added, instead of using “outdated methods” such as ink markers, which had proven to be unreliable.Clement Manyathela from EyeWitness NEWS At the IEC Results and Operations Centre says he enjoys his post at EWN. Photo: Chanel Retief
There wasn’t “the usual hype of elections” in the run-up to the vote, he said, although it did pick up closer to 8 May. What he was interested in now were how the results were showing that the internal battles within the ANC and DA had influenced their overall results. The most difficult issue at the Results Operation Centre, Manyathela said, was how tough it was to get a comment from the IEC. As the current host of the Xolani Gwala radio show on 702, he was not able to interview the IEC commissioners to explain how the counting was going. However, he did understand as they were dealing with issues such as double voting and removable ink.Marianne Merten is a senior journalist at the Daily Maverick.
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