South Africans who cast their ballots in the Local Government Elections did so within an electoral environment that police say was actively protected, with law enforcement moving beyond visibility and prevention to arrests, investigations and the processing of criminal cases through the justice system.
Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, co-chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), briefed the media on behalf of the body on Thursday evening, revealing the scale of police action linked to Voting Day and the Special Voting days that preceded it. On Voting Day itself, some 85 incidents were reported across the country. Police opened 57 case dockets and arrested 27 suspects.
Mosikili said the arrests demonstrated the responsiveness and operational effectiveness of law enforcement agencies, adding that the interventions reinforce a clear position that the electoral environment is protected by the rule of law, and that intimidation, violence, electoral misconduct and criminality will not be tolerated. The cases registered on Voting Day spanned a range of offences. There were 32 cases relating to contraventions of the Electoral Act, four assaults, two cases of malicious damage to property, two intimidation cases, one theft, two cases of crimen injuria, one case of drunk and disorderly conduct, one public violence case, one business burglary and one fraud case.
The incidents were spread across all provinces. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most Voting Day cases with 15, alongside six arrests. Limpopo followed with 11 cases and four arrests, the Eastern Cape with 10 cases and four arrests, Gauteng with eight cases and seven arrests, and the Western Cape with four cases and no arrests at this stage. Mpumalanga and the North West each recorded three cases, with three arrests in Mpumalanga and none yet in the North West. The Free State registered two cases with two arrests, and the Northern Cape one case with one arrest.
Meanwhile, the two Special Voting days, Monday and Tuesday, also saw significant police activity. Some 65 criminal case dockets were registered, with 32 suspects arrested. KwaZulu-Natal again led with 16 cases registered and eight suspects arrested, followed by Limpopo with 13 cases and 11 arrests, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape with eight cases each, and Gauteng with seven cases and three arrests. Mpumalanga recorded five cases with four arrests, while the Free State and North West each registered four cases, with three arrests in the North West and none yet in the Free State. The Northern Cape recorded zero cases.
Mosikili said these figures demonstrate that the security response was not limited to maintaining visibility and preventing incidents. It extended to active law enforcement, the apprehension of suspects, investigation and the advancement of criminal matters through the justice system. He emphasised that NATJOINTS remains resolute that violations of electoral legislation and other criminal conduct will be dealt with decisively, irrespective of where they occur or who is involved.
During the broader election period, police registered 21 cases of murder, including the recent murder of an MK Party member in KwaZulu-Natal. Mosikili noted that, while commencing the post-election phase of the plan, police are also processing murder cases that occurred outside voting stations and outside voting hours. In Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, a 57-year-old man was shot and killed in the early hours of Thursday morning. In another unrelated incident in Limpopo, police registered a murder case following a stabbing at a park opposite Florapark Comprehensive School in Polokwane, and a swift police response resulted in the arrest of a 35-year-old man in connection with the murder. Another murder case was reported in KwaZulu-Natal of a man who was attacked and killed while walking home on Voting Day.
By contrast with the violence, some of the police action touched the machinery of the election itself. Cooperation between law enforcement and the Electoral Commission (IEC) enabled swift interventions in reported incidents, including action taken against IEC officials implicated in alleged electoral transgressions. The IEC has terminated the services of a KwaZulu-Natal presiding officer over the transportation of election material. Mosikili also confirmed that the South African Police Service acted against one of its own members in KwaZulu-Natal, who arrived at a voting station in a vehicle displaying political party branding. He described this as testament to the institutional position that no individual is above the law.
Mosikili reiterated that law enforcement continues its work to protect the integrity of the elections. He thanked law enforcement personnel, government departments, the IEC and all stakeholders whose cooperation contributed to maintaining a safe electoral environment, and commended communities and eligible voters for participating in the democratic process. The Security Cluster, he concluded, remains on the ground, alert and operationally ready until the electoral process is concluded.