Pretoria:Police have opened 57 dockets related to 85 incidents that occurred on Voting Day of the Local Government Elections. This was revealed by co-chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, during a media briefing.
According to South African Government News Agency, on Voting Day, 85 incidents were reported across the country, leading to the registration of 57 case dockets and the arrest of 27 suspects. The provincial distribution of these cases includes Eastern Cape with 10 cases and four arrests, Free State with two cases and two arrests, Gauteng with eight cases and seven arrests, KwaZulu-Natal with 15 cases and six arrests, Limpopo with 11 cases and four arrests, Mpumalanga with three cases and three arrests, North West with three cases and no arrests, Northern Cape with one case and one arrest, and Western Cape with four cases and no arrests.
The incidents consisted of 32 cases related 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. Mosikili noted that the arrest of 27 suspects on Voting Day highlights the responsiveness and operational effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.
On Special Voting days, 65 criminal case dockets were registered, with 32 suspects arrested. Mosikili emphasized that the security response extended beyond maintaining visibility and preventing incidents to active law enforcement, suspect apprehension, investigation, and the advancement of criminal matters through the justice system.
During the election period, police registered 21 cases of murder, including the murder of an MK Party member in KwaZulu-Natal. Additional murder cases were reported, including one in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, where a 57-year-old man was shot and killed, and another in Limpopo following a stabbing incident.
Cooperation between law enforcement and the IEC led to swift interventions in reported incidents, including action against IEC officials implicated in alleged electoral transgressions. Mosikili reiterated that law enforcement continues its efforts to protect the integrity of the elections.