Elections2019: Threats of bloodshed and violent protests cause delays at Zululand voting stations
Threats of bloodshed greeted voters at one voting station this morning, while protesters blocked roads and threw stones at police and IEC officials and others.
UPDATE: Hostile protests flare up again at Ulundi voting station
The gates to the Sizanempi School voting station, in the Gluckstad policing area, were padlocked shut with a handwritten threat of bloodshed attached to the wire fence, when voters arrived early this morning.
Gluckstad station commander, Captain Karl Erasmus, confirmed that the note had been discovered by IEC officials when they got to the voting station to set up, and said the note stated that the community in that area will not vote, and further warned that if the gates to the voting station were opened, there would be bloodshed.
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“We reported the incident to crime intelligence and, after we removed the padlock, we posted additional members and officers from K9 to monitor the voting station in case something should happen.
However, despite the threat, the voting process has not been interrupted at that voting station at all so far. Voters have arrived to make their mark and things are running smoothly,” assured Captain Erasmus.
In Ulundi, Zululand Cluster communications officer, Captain Nkosie Gwala, reported that protestors blocked access to the voting stations at Ekujulukeni and Nguqe with burning trees and rocks.
“The community did not want to allow the IEC officials to get to the voting stations. They even threw stones at the police officers who went out to remove the rocks and burning debris off the road, and the protestors were replacing the rocks that were removed, as the police were clearing up,” said Captain Gwala.
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However, by midday, members of Public Order Policing (POP), the Tactical Task Team and the K9 Unit had managed to clear the roads and things were under control after that. A TLB had to be used to move the bigger rocks off the road,” added Captain Gwala.
While the Crime Intelligence Unit in Vryheid had been briefed to be on the lookout for protest activity in Louwsberg, no incidents were reported. There have been a number of service delivery protests in the Louwsberg area leading up to the elections, during which roads to the area had been rendered inaccessible to motorists with rocks and burning tyres. However, voting is taking place in a peaceful manner today.
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