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Political intolerance, intra- and inter-party conflict, criminal activity and protests have been identified as some of the threats facing voting stations in the Western Cape ahead of Wednesday’s local government elections.
Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Sizakhele Dyantyi said 33 of the province’s 1,633 voting stations had been classified as high-risk, while the remainder were categorised as medium- and low-risk.
More than 3.4-million people are registered to vote in the province.
Dyantyi was speaking during a briefing on law enforcement’s state of readiness for the elections.
He said months of planning, risk assessments, contingency planning and the identification of security threats had gone into preparing for the elections.
“It is a time of reckoning as our 2026 local government elections operational plan will be put to the test. We remain confident that the operational plan is solid and will withstand whatever threat emerges. After all, it is the culmination of months of planning,” he said.
Under the auspices of the provincial joint operational and intelligence structure (ProvJoints), police had been working with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and other stakeholders to ensure safe and secure elections.
Dyantyi said law enforcement recognised citizens’ hard-won democratic right to vote and its responsibility was to ensure they could do so in a safe environment.
He confirmed that all personnel deployed for the elections had undergone training and were familiar with the Electoral Act.
The security contingent includes visible policing members, detectives, specialised units, intelligence services, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), municipal metro police, traffic officials and Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) officers.
Officers will be deployed on foot, horseback and in vehicles, with K-9 units providing additional support. Drones and other technological policing resources will also be used where necessary.
We urge community members to refrain from disseminating inflammatory messages online. A special plea is also made to social media users to verify information before disseminating
— Provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Sizakhele Dyantyi
Dyantyi urged communities to work with law enforcement and respect the rule of law, warning social media users against circulating inflammatory or unverified information.
“We urge community members to refrain from disseminating inflammatory messages online. A special plea is also made to social media users to verify information before disseminating,” he said.
He warned that decisive action would be taken where the Electoral Code of Conduct was breached, adding that SAPS detectives were ready to investigate cases reported during the election period.
The province’s intelligence services were also on high alert to provide information to strengthen policing operations.
Meanwhile, the IEC said on Monday that some voting stations in the City of Cape Town had experienced delays in opening because of the late distribution of ballot papers.
The first day of special voting concluded at 5pm on Monday.
The City of Cape Town said its enforcement services, including the metro police, law enforcement and traffic services, as well as disaster risk management, were supporting SAPS, which is the lead agency responsible for election security.
“We are committed to keeping Cape Town safe and ensuring all residents can safely vote, but we cannot comment on operational plans,” the city said.
Yoliswa Sobuwa
www.timeslive.co.za