Acting MEC for Community Safety, Security, and Liaison, Busisiwe Shiba, has expressed disappointment over recent incidents of intimidation directed at IEC staff and political parties.

These incidents occurred amid the ongoing special votes on Monday and Tuesday.

Shiba has condemned such behavior in the strongest terms and urged the police to swiftly bring the culprits to justice.

“The Security Cluster has identified hotspots as part of ensuring that all threats are accordingly eliminated to enable all voters to freely participate in these elections. The cluster will decisively deal with any person who threatens other people or officials working at various voting districts across the province,” stated Shiba.

Emphasizing the importance of democracy, Shiba added, “We are a democratic state where everybody’s right to freely vote should be respected regardless of their political convictions. We therefore wish to reassure the citizens that the security cluster is on high alert and plans are in place to ensure free and fair elections that will not be marred by violence and intimidation.”

Shiba called on all registered voters to exercise their democratic right by participating in the elections tomorrow.

She assured the public that security agencies are currently deployed at all voting districts across the province, ready to ensure the safety and integrity of the electoral process.