Cape Town – With just a month until South Africa’s National and Provincial Elections, the government has vowed a safe and secure process.
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise has warned against disruptions, affirming law enforcement’s readiness to deal with offenders.
“As the government, we want to issue a stern warning to anyone with intentions to disrupt the elections that the law enforcement officers will deal with them decisively and will put them behind bars,” Modise said on Sunday in Pretoria.
Speaking at a media briefing hosted by the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) Cluster, the Minister underscored that it is unacceptable for anyone to intimidate or obstruct others from exercising their Constitutional right to vote for the party of their choosing.
“We want to assure the public of the readiness of the JCPS Cluster to execute its mandate of protecting the public, our country’s strategic installations and infrastructure during the election period. We will do everything in our power to protect all those who want to exercise their Constitutional right to vote,” said minister
The elections, with 70 parties and over 14,900 candidates, are anticipated to be highly contested.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise says no incitement of violence, lawlessness, destruction of infrastructure, or the barricading of roads will be tolerated as SA heads to the polls. “Anyone who participates in any form of criminal activity will be dealt with.” pic.twitter.com/aBm1xAhL53
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 28, 2024
“Our approach as the JCPS Cluster is to ensure coordinated and intelligence-led planning and operations pre-, during, and postelections where multi-departmental teams work together to ensure that all South Africans exercise their Constitutional rights without fear of intimidation or violence.
“This coordination is managed by National and Provincial JOINTS [ Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure] structures of the JCPS Cluster and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Inter-departmental Priority Committees were established in 2023 at both the National and Provincial levels to safety and security planning.
“Our law enforcement agencies have led in developing the national security plan which has been approved by the Ministers of the JCPS Cluster. NATJOINTS [National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure] has done a thorough threat and crime pattern analysis to inform the development of a security plan and they want to ensure that nothing is left to chance,” the Minister said.
She said that the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security Cluster will ensure coordinated efforts for safety, deploying a fit-for-purpose plan to address potential threats.
“We have also put measures in place to protect all public facilities that will be used for voting, national key points and other essential infrastructure that might be targeted by criminal elements. In addition, the Criminal Matters Amendment Act of 2015 states that any person who tampers with or damages essential infrastructure is guilty of a criminal offence and he/she can be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years if found guilty.
[WATCH] Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise says a protocol has been established between the Justice Department, SAPS detectives, and the NPA to prioritise election-related crimes as SA heads to the polls.#Newzroom405 #Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/BMiqrx3rxU
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 28, 2024
“The South African Police Service (SAPS) Ministry and SAPS management have conducted several oversite roadshows in all provinces where they met with the station commanders of all police stations and district commissioners to assess the SAPS state of readiness and preparedness to ensure safety and security.
“The management of SAPS and Ministry are satisfied with the level of readiness of all the provinces and districts to provide policing services pre-, during and post-the elections,” Modise said.
The elections will be policed within the relevant prescripts and laws and police officers will enforce the law accordingly, she said.
“We want to reiterate that the security plan will be constantly reviewed as the situation changes and we will adapt as required. As the JCPS Cluster leadership, we want to send a clear message to the public that no incitement to violence, lawlessness, destruction of infrastructure, or barricading of roads will be tolerated. Anyone who participates in any form of criminal activity will be dealt with.
“We therefore reiterate to all South Africans that political rights for citizens are guaranteed and should not be violated. The JCPS will ensure that all the rights enshrined in the Constitution are not violated,” she said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
