The IEC concluded its second and last day of special votes yesterrday, however Mpumalang confirmed that there were two attempts to tamper with ballot boxes. The incidents took place separately at two different voting stations.

AMBUSHED

The IEC's Thanduxolo Chembeni alleges that their officials were ambushed by unknown men at voting stations in the Steve Tshwete and Chief Albert Luthuli municipalities. Chembeni said in the first incident, IEC officials were blocked by a group of people demanding the ballot boxes. He said that a fight broke out before the police were called. "The police quickly responded and defused the situation, and the ballot boxes were taken care of and were delivered safely to the overnight storage."

In the second incident, Chembeni said officials were again blocked by a group demanding to take pictures of the ballot boxes. "They were allowed to do that. Out of the blue, one person out of the group forcefully took one ballot box from the vehicle and in the process, the below seal broke, and the ballot papers fell on the ground." However, Chembeni confirmed that none of the special votes were compromised.

LEAVE POLITICS TO POLITICIANS

Meanwhile in KwaZulu Natal, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has ordered immediate disciplinary action against two police officers who were captured on video driving a state vehicle assigned to Sundumbili police station, picking up an off-duty police officer at a voting station. The off-duty officer can be seen wearing the regalia of a political party. Mkhwanazi has also ordered the immediate removal of these two officers from their deployment in the elections. He emphasised that police officers must always maintain professionalism and uphold their oath. "On multiple occasions, I have stressed to the members of the South African Police Service here in KwaZulu-Natal that they should leave politics to politicians. I have emphasised that police officers should never engage in campaigning or be seen supporting any political party. The actions of these police officers are completely unacceptable and undermine the diligent work that the police force has been doing to create a safe and secure environment for the elections,' Mkhwanazi said.