Cape Town – The police will remain at the province’s 41 voting stations classified as “hot spots” until the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) announces the results tomorrow.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and provincial police commissioner Khombinkosi Jula identified, among others, Kraaifontein, Isiqalo, Mbekweni, certain parts of Mitchells Plain, Hermanus, Botrivier, Nyanga and Khayelitsha as areas to watch.
“Police deployments are still in effect until the results have been officially announced by the relevant authority.
“Thus far, there have been no reported incidents that impacted on the election process.
“In essence, the elections went off relatively well,” Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said.
She said a precinct was classified a hot spot through crime patterns that were observed consistently over a period of time; intelligence about possible occurrences; engagement with significant role-players about the safety and security of everyone in a specific precinct; and volumes of crime incidents.
Cele deployed 51 300 police officers to various polling stations ahead of the elections, with about 3 500 reservists assisting in all provinces.
In the build-up to the general elections, Cele said the police were the main component in ensuring the integrity of the elections, before and after ballots were cast.
IEC Western Cape head Courtney Sampson said on Wednesday that the results and operations centre was visited by the provincial police generals to check if all was in order.
“From an election point of view, one does not want to be cynical and say the election went smoothly because there were no issues in hot spots.
“These areas remain hot spots because people live there and the police will continue to monitor those and to remain if we (IEC) need them,” he said.