Government has sent a stern warning to people intending to disrupt next month’s general elections.
This emerged during a media briefing in Pretoria by Ministers in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) on the state of their readiness ahead of next year’s elections.
“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 Defence Minister Thandi Modise.
According to Modise, the elections are said to be the most contested in the history of this country.
Modise said the Cluster’s approach is to ensure coordinated and intelligence-led planning and operations pre-, during, and post-elections.
She’s adamant the coordination will ensure that all South Africans exercise their constitutional rights without fear of intimidation or violence.
“This coordination is managed by National and Provincial JOINTS structures of the JCPS Cluster and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Inter-departmental Priority Committees were 3 established in 2023 at both the National and Provincial levels to coordinate safety and security planning,” explained the Minister.
Modise said the deployments will deal with any potential threats of crime and violence in and around voting stations and national and provincial results centres.
The teams will also protect all public facilities that will be used for voting, national key points and other essential infrastructure that might be targeted by criminal elements.
“Our Constitution guarantees the right to freedom, the right to safety and the right to be free from all forms of intimidation.
In addition, the Criminal Matters Amendment Act of 2015 states that any person who tampers with or damages essential 4 infrastructure is guilty of a criminal offence and he/she can be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years if found guilty,” explained Modise.
The Cluster also highlighted that a protocol has been established between the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, SAPS Detectives and the NPA to prioritise all election-related crimes.
Citizens have also been warned that sharing false, unverified information, rumours, or threats online or in person will have serious consequences.
