A total of 17,000 police officers have been deployed across KwaZulu-Natal to ensure the smooth running of the elections, with a particular focus on areas identified as needing additional security measures. (Courtesy/SAPS)
- About 17,000 police officers have been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal to ensure Wednesday's election goes smoothly, with a particular focus on areas deemed necessary for additional security measures.
- Unique geography, including remote polling stations accessible only by boat, poses logistical obstacles.
- Authorities have urged political parties and voters to refrain from taking matters into their own hands and to report any concerns to police.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said there were growing concerns that sensitive election-related material was being moved between an Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) warehouse and polling stations without police approval.
Speaking at a press conference in Durban on Tuesday, Mkhwanazi said concerns were raised after a video of an Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) member went viral on social media alleging irregularities in the delivery of voting materials to different parts of the province.
The party had alleged that the items included ballot boxes, voting ink and scanners.
Read | IEC takes action against MK Party over storage facility incursion
News24 reported on Monday that the IEC was considering whether to take legal action against the MK Party after a group of its supporters broke into the committee's storage space over the weekend and allegedly threatened staff.
The IEC on Sunday refuted disinformation allegedly spread by MK party members about what it described as normal logistical procedures at the Hammarsdale warehouse facility.
Mkhwanazi said he met with IEC officials over the weekend following the incident and prepared a detailed report.
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“We have informed the authorities that this must not happen. The South African Police Service and all law enforcement agencies involved in this election have a duty to protect the IEC's confidential materials by all means. This should happen from the warehouse to the polling stations and vice versa. If confidential materials are taken from the warehouse without our knowledge, that becomes a problem. Without the police, they cannot be moved,” Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi also called on political parties to avoid enforcing the law themselves and instead report issues to the police.
Police said 17,000 officers had been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal for the elections.
The final contingent of more than 500 police officers was deployed to the north of the state on Tuesday morning.
Mkhwanazi said there was a need for a large number of police officers in three districts in the province – Zululand, Uthukela and Umkanyakude.
He said police were confident of having adequate manpower to ensure smooth conduct of the elections and no incidents had been registered since Monday. The special polls were conducted smoothly without any interruptions.
But he noted the state is “very unique.”
You need a boat to get to the polling station. IEC officials and police have to use a boat to get to the polling station because they have to cross the river. Moreover, they have to get back before sunset, which means the polling station has to close earlier than the other polling stations.
“But we have the vessels to do that, we have helicopters so we can reach those difficult places. A lot of the areas we operate in are rural and we have a lot of off-road vehicles that we deploy to help carry out those operations,” he said.
Mkhwanazi said police were working with political parties to prevent violence after the province saw unrest and looting in 2021, leading to the closure of major roads such as the N3 and N2.
He added that he hopes people who are unhappy about something will act responsibly.
“I hope that the people of this state don't let the whole country down and do what is expected of them. I hope that they will behave and show that we are united as a state.”
