Durban: A Durban teacher has pleaded guilty to voting 24 times during the local government elections in November last year.
Nomusa Precious Gabuza was sentenced to three years of correctional supervision and four years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years in the Umlazi Regional Court this week.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said Gabuza pleaded guilty to Contravention of the Local Government Municipal Electoral Act 2000.
In her plea, Gabuza told the court she was at teacher at a school in Durban, which was also used as a voting station during the Local Government Elections.
“She was the presiding officer at this voting station and acknowledged that her job was to ensure that the voting process was conducted fairly and justly without any problems,” said Kara.
“On the morning of the elections and before the voting station could open, she decided to cast extra votes in favour of her party of choice.
“She said that she cast 24 votes (12 for the municipal elections and 12 for the ward elections) in favour of her party and put them in the relevant boxes.”
Gabuza, in her plea, said she did this knowing her actions were wrong and she was only entitled to vote once.
“Gabuza was arrested after a party representative inspected the boxes before the start of the voting process. She was then arrested and eventually confessed,” said Kara.
IOL