Tzaneen - An area manager has been suspended after a pack of unused ballot boxes were discovered next to a Limpopo road over the weekend, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) confirmed on Tuesday.
A day before special voting commenced on Monday, Errance Mash posted two live videos on Facebook showing his discovery of the abandoned box on Lydenburg road near Tzaneen.
Mash further explained that there was another sealed box a few metres away from the first one.
The IEC confirmed it had been made aware of the incident and had conducted an investigation into the matter.
"Investigations showed it was lost in transport by the area manager. The person has been suspended pending an internal disciplinary.
"The ballot boxes were recovered by SAPS and returned to IEC."
The commission further said it appreciated the "vigilance of party agents and voters in monitoring the election process and in bringing to its attention potential problems".
The IEC meanwhile revealed its state of readiness ahead of the 2019 general elections, adding that the country’s 22 924 voting stations are all poised and ready to open at 7am.
The stations will remain open until 9pm when counting is scheduled to begin.
"However, voting will continue after 9pm where voters are waiting in the queue," the commission said in a station.