Johannesburg – Police in Gauteng, which has more than 2 700 polling stations, led by Provincial Commissioner of Police Lieutenant General Elias Mawela on Monday declared their state of readiness of the security detail in to deliver safe and secure elections.
Police Minister General Bheki Cele recently updated the public on readiness of the security forces and police to safeguard the general elections on Wednesday.
Special votes were being cast from Monday and will continue on Tuesday.
General Mawela said police in Gauteng have already activated the initial deployment that successfully delivered rallies of four political parties over the weekend in Johannesburg, Soweto, and the West Rand districts. He said only a few incidents were reported.
Mawela said deployments throughout the election period will be intelligence-driven and responsive to threat assessment for each voting station.
"With over 2 760 voting stations in Gauteng, measures have been put in place by the Provjoints [Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure] in anticipation of possible security breaches that were prevalent in previous elections such as: intimidation of voters and electoral officers; obstruction of voting and the voting process; public violence and malicious damage to property; theft and common robberies at or near voting stations," said Mawela.
He added: "Furthermore, the safety of children during this election period cannot be over emphasised. Parents must at all times be aware of the whereabouts of their children.
"Parents are also reminded that there is no waiting period to report a missing person. Delays in reporting a missing person could further compromise their prospects of being found."
African News Agency/ANA
