The South African Police Service (SAPS) has assured the public that all necessary security measures are in place as South Africans cast their votes in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
“Well, in terms of security deployments, we’re quite confident that the measures that we’ve put in place are sufficient and adequate to ensure free, fair and safe elections,” said National Police spokesperson, Brigadier, Athlenda Mathe.
She was speaking during an interview with the Government Communications and Information Centre (GCIS) at the National Results Operation Centre (ROC) on Wednesday.
This as voting stations across the country opened their doors for voters to cast their ballots.
“Security has been tightened … we have put the necessary measures in place,” she said.
Regarding the 321 high-risk voting stations declared across the country, Mathe explained that these locations have been identified based on intelligence relating to the potential for instability due to community protests or service delivery issues.
“When we identify a station as a high-risk station … we make sure that we deploy and operationally, we ensure that there is sufficient measures in place to prevent any eventuality,” Mathe said.
Up to 11am this morning, Mathe said no major incidents were reported at these stations due to the enhanced security presence.
Public order policing units and roving teams are on standby to respond quickly if needed, with operations coordinated through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), which provides a comprehensive overview of incidents across all nine provinces.
“The NATJOINTS allows us to have a bird’s-eye view… so whenever an incident is reported, we can consolidate the necessary response to proactively and quickly respond and contain a particular issue,” Mathe explained.
Addressing the challenge of misinformation, Mathe urged voters to verify information before sharing it.
“Most of the time we discourage it because it really causes unnecessary panic. Our teams are on the ground. You will cast your vote in a safe and secure environment. I think the NATJOINTS has a very good track record of ensuring that elections are hosted in a safe and secure environment,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.
