Police officials will be deployed to all polling stations across the Eastern Cape and a joint operational centre established to oversee a smooth election process.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said police were ready for the election and had started deploying officers to certain areas on Sunday.
The police have set up a Provincial Joint Operation Centre to monitor all 4,791 polling stations across the Province.
“Its main objective is to provide support to all role players towards the smooth running of the election process,” she said.
“I would like to assure members of the public that all safety and security measures have been put in place to create an environment for crime-free elections. We completed our operational plan ahead of time and we have began deploying police members from the 5th May. Certain areas have been identified as hotspot areas which we have categorised as low, medium or high risk areas,” she said.
“To this end we have put measures in place to mitigate any potential threats in accordance with the threat assessment.
“To this end we have ensured that additional manpower and reserve forces are available to deal with any eventualities or situations that may require speedy interventions.”
Ntshinga warned that no weapons of any kind were allowed inside the polling stations.
“I would like to emphasise that we will not tolerate any form of criminality, intimidation and disruptive behaviour, including drunkenness at the polling stations. We are aware of instigators in various parts of the province and we will deal with them without fear or favour,” she said.
It is an obligation of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure each South African citizen who is eligible to vote does so freely and fairly.
IEC Provincial Executive Officer Khayakazi Magudumane said they were ready.
“We have had a large number of citizens applying for special votes this year but all systems are in place to ensure that all those voters cast their votes,” she said.
Magudumane added that the Provincial Results Operational Centre (ROC) was launched on Sunday.
To assist the people who lost their Identity Documents in the recent floods, mainly in the Port St Johns area, the Department of Home Affairs has stepped in and is issuing temporary identification documents to those affected.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Fikile Xasa called for a peaceful election.
“We encourage our communities to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections and to do so in secret in a free and fair environment,” he said.
“We would like to see visible political leadership to ensure that any possible acts of disruption are attended to urgently. We all have a national duty to secure the right of all South Africans to exercise their hard won right to choose the leadership to represent them in the 6th administration. We dare not fail.”
Eastern Cape police officials ready for elections
Image: Gallo Images / Felix Dlangamandla
Police officials will be deployed to all polling stations across the Eastern Cape and a joint operational centre established to oversee a smooth election process.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said police were ready for the election and had started deploying officers to certain areas on Sunday.
The police have set up a Provincial Joint Operation Centre to monitor all 4,791 polling stations across the Province.
“Its main objective is to provide support to all role players towards the smooth running of the election process,” she said.
“I would like to assure members of the public that all safety and security measures have been put in place to create an environment for crime-free elections. We completed our operational plan ahead of time and we have began deploying police members from the 5th May. Certain areas have been identified as hotspot areas which we have categorised as low, medium or high risk areas,” she said.
“To this end we have put measures in place to mitigate any potential threats in accordance with the threat assessment.
“To this end we have ensured that additional manpower and reserve forces are available to deal with any eventualities or situations that may require speedy interventions.”
Ntshinga warned that no weapons of any kind were allowed inside the polling stations.
“I would like to emphasise that we will not tolerate any form of criminality, intimidation and disruptive behaviour, including drunkenness at the polling stations. We are aware of instigators in various parts of the province and we will deal with them without fear or favour,” she said.
It is an obligation of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure each South African citizen who is eligible to vote does so freely and fairly.
IEC Provincial Executive Officer Khayakazi Magudumane said they were ready.
“We have had a large number of citizens applying for special votes this year but all systems are in place to ensure that all those voters cast their votes,” she said.
Magudumane added that the Provincial Results Operational Centre (ROC) was launched on Sunday.
To assist the people who lost their Identity Documents in the recent floods, mainly in the Port St Johns area, the Department of Home Affairs has stepped in and is issuing temporary identification documents to those affected.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Fikile Xasa called for a peaceful election.
“We encourage our communities to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections and to do so in secret in a free and fair environment,” he said.
“We would like to see visible political leadership to ensure that any possible acts of disruption are attended to urgently. We all have a national duty to secure the right of all South Africans to exercise their hard won right to choose the leadership to represent them in the 6th administration. We dare not fail.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos