The Democratic Alliance acted too late when it asked the courts to compel the IEC to set up more voting stations for expats.

This is the contention of African politics professor at UNISA, Kealeboga Maphunye. He was speaking as the Independent Electoral Commission conceded to the request. Maphunye notes that all South Africans have the right to vote, even if they are in another country, but there is a concern that the decision to increase international voting stations had come too late.

The DA had gone to the courts in February, and by that time, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had already drafted the budget for this year. Maphunye says that adding more polling stations come at a cost, and the feasibility of this, especially on an international level, could prove challenging.