By Anita Dangazele
The Eastern Cape Provincial Joint Operational Centre said it is ready for the highly anticipated election week starting on Monday with special votes and ending on Wednesday, 29 May.
IEC provincial electoral officer Khayakazi Magudumana led a media briefing on the state of readiness ahead of the national and provincial elections in East London on Sunday.
Magudumana said a total of 4,868 voting stations will be used across the province, 93 of which are tents.
She said 288 005 people are registered for special votes which will take place between Monday and Tuesday.
“As the province we are ready. Material has been dispatched to the various municipalities and storage sight and security is taking care of our material,” she said.
“There’s enough staff for all voting stations and these people have been trained in legislation and our values. We are expecting that our staff will treat voters with respect,” Magudumana added.
She said the Eastern Cape had the highest number of registered voters in the country.
“Looking at the overall picture, we have registered 84% of eligible voters. We are leading the country. It is my wish that when we prepare for the coming elections we look for the 6% so that we break the record.”
Eastern Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene, said extra police officials will be deployed to ensure a peaceful election process at the 4,868 voting stations.
She said Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and OR Tambo were identified as hotspots for potential threats, according to the threat assessment.
“Deployments to these areas are in accordance with the level of risk identified through intensified operations. To meet the increased demand for security, we have deployed additional police officers throughout the province. Maximum numbers of police members, including specialised units, will be deployed to the polling stations,” Mene said.
Pictured above: The Eastern Cape Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure briefed the media on the state of readiness for the 2024 general elections on Sunday.
Image source: Facebook
