Eastern Cape warns ‘fearmongers’ threatening shutdown during elections

With just a day left before South Africans go to the polls, Eastern Cape Transport and Community Safety MEC Xolile Nqatha has warned people who intend to disrupt the elections in the province.

This comes after voice notes and videos have been circulated on social media, seeking to intimidate, incite violence, and threaten people’s democratic right to participate in the upcoming elections.

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Eastern Cape transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the state will deal decisively with any person creating fear ahead of the elections.

Warning

“The most recent of these social media posts is a brazen video recording by a man, allegedly who calls for a complete shutdown of Mthatha, a stop of elections’ campaigns in and around Mthatha, less than 48 hours before the elections.

“The call comes after the police confiscated pistols and assault rifles following the resurgence of taxi violence in the Mthatha, Tsolo and Maclear areas,” Binqose said.

Nqatha has assured the public that there will be no shutdown of Mthatha, and has directed the police to track down and bring to justice the man responsible for the video and any other person responsible for similar social media posts.

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Rule of law

He said the actions seek to undermine the rule of law in this province and in Mthatha.

“The utterances of the man who recorded the video in particular are an insult to the sacrifices of many of our liberation struggle heroes and heroines. He is virtually spitting in the faces of all our anti-apartheid heroes and heroines, many of whom have sacrificed their lives for this right to vote and the right for freedom of movement that he now want to take away from our people.

“We can never allow any person to do that on our watch, for that will be a betrayal of this freedom that we now enjoy, and the sacrifices of those who fought so hard for it,” said Nqatha.

 Nqatha said his department is working closely with the police and is determined to end the taxi violence in the province.

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