The country’s national general elections which have ushered a new major twists in the country’s political landscape after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the government of national unity that might include the DA, IFP, NFP, EFF, as the best form of government going forward, the police confirmed that they made no less than 90 arrests during the course of the elections.
According to National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola the SAPS arrested 90 people who were arrested over the three days of elections between Monday and Wednesday.
Masemola said on the first day of special votes on Monday, police registered 26 cases and arrested 24 people while on the second day of special votes on Tuesday, police reported that they were able to log at least 32 cases, with nine people detained.
Furthermore, Masemola revealed that on the day of the elections, on Wednesday, May 29, the police registered 37 cases which led to the arrest of 57 people, bringing the total number of arrests to 90 people, most of whom have been been released on bail.
“Twenty-two are still inside as we speak and that is all about the matters of cases during the three days of the election,” he said.
Masemola addressed the the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) media briefing on the third phase of its 2024 National and Provincial Elections operational activities.
In spite of the peaceful and uneventful national elections, on Wednesday, Masemola announced a further deployment of 300 additional Public Order Policing (POP) members to KwaZulu-Natal in support of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) safety and security plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE).
He said the latest deployment was meant to improve and enhance policing operations in the post elections phase at various places of interest and hotspots.
“We have delivered the 2024 NPE elections in a stable environment. Voters were able to exercise their democratic right without fear or favour, we will continue to respond accordingly to prevent and combat criminality. We thank voters and communities for thus far conducting themselves in an orderly and responsible manner. We hope this will prevail. Those who step out of line will be dealt with,” the commissioner said.
Police minister, Bheki Cele as well as minister of justice, Ronald Lamola as part of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster said they had received an evaluation from the NATJOINTS regarding the security situation in the country since the elections.
“We are satisfied with how law enforcement agencies prevented and responded to incidents that would have otherwise tarnished the seventh General Elections in the country,” Cele said.
Cele added that the NATJOINTS also briefed the Ministers of the Security Cluster for their preparedness in ensuring the safety and security of the country in the post-election phase.
Early this week, The Star reported that the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) which holding its provincial elective conference at the Birchwood Hotel also commended South Africa’s law enforcement community including members of the SAPS for a job well done in ensuring that the elections were peaceful and without major incidents.
Popcru president Thulani Ngwenya revealed that the union has noted the good work of the country's men and women in uniform who have worked around the clock to ensure the safety of voters, as well as communities, during the country's most contested elections on May 29.
“In response, our traffic and police officers increased their presence and visibility, and worked hard to secure voting stations and prevent any serious disruptions that may have negatively impacted our democratic processes, or the safety of our communities and citizens,” Ngwenya said.
Saturday Star