Six suspects have been arrested and 21 criminal cases have been registered during the special voting period for the 2026 local government elections. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) confirmed on Tuesday evening that security measures have been strengthened nationwide to ensure that voters can cast their votes in a safe environment on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, co-chair of Natjoints, said at the media conference that the 21 cases include murder, theft of election materials, arson, intimidation and damage to election materials. Five of the cases have already been referred to court. Two suspects were arrested in Ingcobo in the Eastern Cape for allegedly posing as IEC officials. Other arrests include one suspect for the destruction of election materials in Mmametlake and one for willful property damage in Pienaar, both in Mpumalanga, as well as one suspect accused of taking a photograph of a ballot paper in Christiana, North West.
Natjoints also expressed concern over the murder of a regional leader of the MK party in KwaZulu-Natal. The political murders task team is supporting the investigation. The death of an IEC presiding officer at Buhrmansdrift in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district in North West is also being investigated by police. The cause of his or her death has not yet been established. The polling station is expected to remain available for voting on Wednesday.
Mosikili warned that no election campaigns, political influence or intimidation at or near polling stations on election day will be tolerated. Protests on election day are also prohibited and offenders can be prosecuted in accordance with applicable legislation. The campaign period ended at midnight.
Natjoints and the nine provincial joint operational structures (Provjoints) remain fully activated. Adequate police and security forces have been deployed, with additional attention to areas identified by intelligence as potential flashpoints. Arrangements have also been made to ensure that essential services, including water and electricity, remain available at polling stations. The public is urged to remain calm, not to spread false information and to respect others' democratic right to vote.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
