WATCH: ‘If you break the law, ours is to enforce’ − 17 000 cops to police KZN voting stations

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi announced that at least 17 000 police officers will be deployed to the province’s voting stations to maintain order during the elections.

Mkhwanazi addressed the Electoral Code of Conduct Signing ceremony on Wednesday, where he called out political leaders for sowing divisions among voters.

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Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo on Tuesday said KZN has the highest number of voting stations, with 4 974, followed by the Eastern Cape with 4 868 and Limpopo with 3 216.

Mkwanazi pleaded with KZN voters to respect each other’s constitutional right to vote for a political party of their choice and not intimidate voters for choosing a specific party.

“Everyone has the right to be members of a political party, form a political party or vote for whoever they want to vote for,” said Mkhwanazi.

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“But I want to remind you of the limitations of the same rights contained in the very same Constitution that they are limited. When your rights are limited, the police come and perform the task. The very same Constitution which the people adopted, you outline the objectives of the SAPS.

“One of the tasks you gave us is to prevent, investigate and combat crime, and most importantly, to enforce the law. If you violate the law, if you break the law, ours is to enforce. The SAPS and security cluster as a whole in KZN are planning to deploy not less than 17 000 law enforcement officers to police these elections.”

Watch KZN Police Commissioner Mkhwanazi below:

Mkwanazi said the voting stations have been categorised into low, medium and high risk.

“Political leaders, yes, we have high risk voting stations because of you,” he told the political leaders in the province.

“The high risk voting stations are a result of people who don’t want to tolerate each other and want to violate each other’s rights as contained in the Constitution. This forces us to increase the number of police officers that we deploy in that particular voting station to prevent crime.

“Please give us space, we have a lot of people who are raping, killing, robbing and stealing, we should be focusing on those and not policing those who have a right to vote because the right to vote is for everyone.

“Stay away from the police stations, allow people to walk in freely and mark the paper they want to mark. Because even those wearing your T-shirts might mark a different ballot paper when they get there.”

WATCH: Ramaphosa calls for calm after 16 people injured in ANC-IFP clash

KZN already witnessed political violence after ANC chairperson in KZN Siboniso Duma grabbed the microphone from Zulu prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi, also an IFP mayor in Zululand District Municipality, during his speech at the 110^th commemoration of King Dinuzulu ka Cetshwayo at KwaNkomonye Royal Palace last month.

The event became even more chaotic when IFP and ANC members clashed, raising concerns of violence ahead of the elections on 29 May.

At least 16 people were injured during the clash.

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Duma claimed it was not the first incident of violence between members of the two political parties.

The IFP says it is ready to smoke the peace pipe.