With only a day remaining before South Africans head to the polls, KwaZulu Natal police have tightened security around eThekwini high risk voting stations. In the past few days, disgruntled taxi operators have been blocking national roads in both Port Shepstone and Durban. Taxi operators said they were frustrated by the police's anti-crime initiative, Operation Shanela, where their taxis are being impounded while the Department of Transport is refusing to grant them permits for their vehicles.
HIGH RISK STATIONS
KwaZulu Natal has the second-highest number of registered voters after Gauteng with over 4 900 voting stations. According to the provincial SAPS commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, there will be increased deployments in hotspot areas. "Durban was identified as having the majority of high-risk stations. Other districts, to get additional police deployments around voting stations include Amajuba, Uthukela and Zululand.
Seventeen thousand extra law enforcement officers had been deployed in the province to enforce the law during elections. About 2 695 low-risk areas will be monitored by 7 390 police officers, 1 064 medium-risk areas by 4 266 members while 1 290 officers would be deployed to 215 high-risk areas," Mkhwanazi said, adding that there are 164 high-risk stations in the eThekwini district and 964 officers have been deployed.
VOLATILE AREAS TO BE MONITORED
In Gauteng, Brigadier Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said they have identified a number of high-risk voting stations and potentially in volatile areas that are being monitored on an ongoing basis. "Deployments are subsequently proportional to the level of risk identified through intensified operations informed by thorough analysis and intelligence-based reports. Threats identified, such as community protests, are being attended to and those found to be in contravention of the law are being dealt with," Mosikili said, adding that public order policing units are on the ground and ready to prevent and combat any such incidents. Meanwhile, two uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party members were shot and killed in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, on Sunday night. It is alleged that the two members were involved in an altercation with members of the African National Congress (ANC) at the Thwala section when they were gunned down.
