DURBAN - KWAZULU-NATAL has been identified as a hot spot for political violence in the country in the run-up to the local government elections on November 1.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said he met with a national joint committee on security matters recently relating to preparations for policing the elections. Cele said 96 voting stations had been identified as high risk in KZN.
He said municipalities such as eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, Newcastle and Umzimkulu were problematic.
“We listened to presentations and deliberated on matters. The presentation tells us that we have a few problematic areas. We are on track.”
Last month, three women were shot and killed outside Buhlebethu Primary School voting station in Inanda, north of Durban. He said a candidate survived a shooting incident in KwaDukuza recently, and there had been flare-ups of violence in Willowvale and Dambuza, near Pietermaritzburg.
“The police have responded to those issues. We have been approached by a few political parties in the province to have a security cluster meeting. That is being arranged. We must be ready to react should things happen.”
Cele said the police would be deployed to all voting stations. Additional SAPS could be deployed to a voting station depending on the risk factor and crime intelligence reports. The stations that were low risk would have two SAPS officers; medium risk stations would have four, and those at high risk would have six.
“The police will be deployed three days before the elections during the special voting period. This gives us adequate time to gather intelligence closer to the election.”
Cele said a task team set up to probe political murders in KZN since 2018 had reduced the number of incidents. He said 282 people had been arrested for their involvement in more than 40 politically motivated murders. Nine suspects were imprisoned for life, and 22 were handed sentences between 10 and 50 years. About 50 of them received prison sentences of between one year and 10 years. “The State has responded not just in talking, but by putting people behind bars.”
On the arrest of instigators of the July looting in Gauteng and KZN, Cele said 18 people had been arrested. Each arrest was in different stages of investigation.
“Some have been charged. There are one or two people who have been charged with treason.
“Our core function is to ensure people are safe, that there is no chaos. We know that previously we had incidents where boxes with ballots allegedly disappeared, voting stations did not open on time and people were stopping the Electoral Commission of South Africa from opening doors, and people running away with keys. These are issues that hinder the integrity of the elections,” Cele said.
Political analyst Xolani Dube claimed Cele was paying lip service to the political violence unfolding in KZN.
“People will continue to die if the policing structure is not changed. Cele knows the power or the politics industry. People will take the law into their own hands. People are being arrested as a publicity stunt and later released,” Dube said.
Daily News