Briefing statement of the JCPS Cluster Ministers outlining the state of readiness for the 2021 Municipal Elections
The purpose of this media briefing today by the respective Ministers of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster is to update you on the cluster’s state of readiness for the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE).
As you are all aware, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa has in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, declared Monday, 1 November 2021 – the date for local government elections – as a public holiday throughout the country.
COVID-19 health protocols for the LGE JCPS will support the COVID-19 measures as outlined by the IEC.
Safety and security measures for the elections
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), continues to meet weekly to plan and analyse the safety and security situation in the country and put measures in place to protect all our citizens as they exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Today we can confidently declare that all safety and security measures have been put in place to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections starting from 30 and 31 October 2021 (from 08:00 to 17:00 for the special votes) and 1 November elections.
All relevant security-aligned departments within the three spheres of government have worked tirelessly, in a continuous and coordinated manner, to ensure the successful delivery of the LGE. As a cluster, we want to assure the public that all areas will be accessible for all citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
Election security plan
NATJOINTS has put together an election security plan that is managed by national, provincial, district and local JOINTS structures of the JCPS Cluster. This plan will ensure that there is sufficient police visibility in and around the voting stations around the country to prevent crime and/or intimidation of voters and other role-players.
Furthermore, members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) will be deployed at the provincial results centres to ensure the integrity of the finalisation of the results.
The deployment of the SAPS, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and other law-enforcement agencies will be determined and guided by structured threat analysis and crime patterns. Over and above the physical deployments of SAPS officers at voting districts, Reserve forces from the Police are on standby to provide additional assistance should the need arise in and around the identified hotspot areas. To this end, security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of voters, IEC officials, role-players, equipment, resources, voting stations and the general public.
Identified threats to the elections
The Intelligence Coordinating Committee (ICC) has conducted a security threat assessment and they have assured us that the situation in the country is relatively stable, which is conducive to free and fair elections. This threat assessment has resulted in the categorisation of each voting station into high, medium and low risk and the police will deploy accordingly. Voting stations that will be opened on Election Day (1 November 2021) across the country.
All forms of criminality will not be tolerated before, during and after the voting period. We would like to remind South Africans that the incitement of violence is also a criminal offence. Interfering with the work of IEC officers is also a transgression that is punishable by law.
As the Security Cluster, we again want to assure the country that law-enforcement agencies will be on hand at every voting station to ensure that the democratic process is not disturbed in any way whatsoever and the elections are conducted in a free, fair and safe environment.
Political violence and killings
The Security Cluster is encouraged by the continuous monitoring and evaluation by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) that was tasked by President Ramaphosa to end political violence in KwaZulu-Natal.
The IMC has established a Task Team to investigate political murders dating back to May 2018. This Task Team comprises operational representatives from the JCPS Cluster. The mandate of this task team is to ensure that the perpetrators of politically related crimes are brought to book.
Cases and sentences
The prosecutorial-led investigations have ensured water-tight cases and heavy sentences being handed down to the killers of political players in KwaZulu-Natal. Since its inception, the Task Team has made several arrests and secured multiple life sentences as well as sentences between 10 and 15 years on politically related cases.
Ladies and gentlemen,
There is no doubt that the Task Team has prevented more bloodshed in the province. It has been instrumental in bringing simmering political tensions under control and ensuring that the rule of law is restored through justice for victims of political crimes. The team has made many arrests of which there has been many life sentences between 10 and 15 years.
Members of the media,
We are confident that the impressive work of this high-level investigative team and its track record inspire hope and peace in the affected provinces. The SAPS will continue to investigate all cases of violence associated with the run-up to the election period and Election Day.
Operations of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
The DHA has a crucial role to play in the elections as it the only department that issues enabling documents that are accepted for voting purposes. The Department issues Smart ID cards, green barcoded IDs and Temporary Identity Certificate, all of which are accepted by the IEC.
From Monday, 18 October 2021, the DHA has extended its operating hours by 2 ½ hours in the 197 out of a total of 412 offices that have the capability of processing Smart ID cards and passports. This intervention is aimed at meeting demand for services. Members of the public have responded well to this call as we have witnessed an increase in the number of people who visited the offices in the past week. The department will continue extending its operating hours.
On Saturday, 30 and Sunday, 31 October 2021 and Monday, 1 November 2021, all of 412 DHA offices will operate on the same hours as the IEC. During the voting period, Home Affairs offices will assist people who have lost or misplaced their IDs to apply for a Temporary Identity Certificate as per the requirement of the IEC to resolve duplicate cases.
As of 22 October 2021, there were 370 000 uncollected IDs at Home Affairs offices. We call upon people who applied for their IDs more than two weeks ago to visit their nearest Home Affairs offices to collect their documents.
Role of the SANDF
Under the ambit of the NATJOINTS, the SANDF will be on standby to provide support to the IEC and SAPS. The SANDF will protect National Key Points.
Establishment of an Electoral Court
In accordance with the Amended Electoral Act 4 of 2021, a provision is made for the establishment of the Electoral Court that deals with electoral disputes, complaints about infringements of the Electoral Code of Conduct and will investigate any allegation of misconduct, incapacity or incompetence of members of the IEC. These courts will be available in each of the voting districts.
Ladies and gentlemen, the JCPS Cluster will ensure that the LGE are conducted in a safe and secure environment. We also declare that we are operationally ready to execute our mandate and ensure a safe and secure environment for free and fair elections to prevail.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to urge all political party leaders not to make inflammatory statements with a potential to incite violence in the communities. In addition, we urge the political leaders to adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct that was signed on 1 October 2021 by all political parties contesting the LGE 2021.
Political party representatives pledged to abide by the code of conduct and committed themselves to ensure that their candidates, members and supporters conduct themselves in a manner which is conducive to free and fair elections.
We wish all South Africans well as they exercise their constitutional right to vote for the candidates of their choice in the LGE 2021.
I thank you.
