Lungani Zungu
Police Minister Bheki Cele has assured South Africans that police will squash any attempts to disrupt Monday’s elections.
“We are working to ensure the elections are free, safe and fair as the police ministry. No form of disruption will be tolerated,” Cele told Scrolla.Africa on Sunday.
Cele was in Durban on Sunday on the back of the chaos at the voting stations in Umzinto and Camperdown near Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
Staffers from the Electoral Commission (IEC) were barred from entering voting stations in Umzinto, south of KwaZulu-Natal, and in Camperdown over the weekend.
Cele issued a stern warning, saying people who would try to disrupt the polls would face the wrath of the law.
“If people choose to break the rules, we will lock them up,” warned Cele.
He said KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape are the hotspots of political violence.
In KZN, six people have been murdered in what is believed to be politically motivated killings, said Cele.
“We are working around the clock to arrest the killers. There are positive leads.
“We cannot allow our country to slide back to the times of political violence,” said Cele.
Apart from eThekwini and Pietermaritzburg, Cele said Nongoma and Ulundi were amongst places identified as hotspots.
The IEC’s Kate Bapela said the elections would be free, fair and safe.
“We will make sure that no person is denied their democratic right to vote.
“We are working closely with the police to ensure that the elections on Monday are safe,” she said.
Millions of South Africans will go out to vote in Monday’s elections.
The results will be announced on Thursday.
