Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Jan Scheepers warned on Wednesday that disruptions and violence during the 4 November local government elections will not be tolerated.
He spoke at a media briefing with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on the province’s readiness for the vote. Scheepers said police were prepared to keep law and order so that people could vote in peace.
“If any person comes to this province and thinks this province is a playground, you make a huge mistake,” he said.
“We will make sure that throughout what we’ve implemented in this province, we are going to make sure the elections will be free. It will be fair. Nobody will be intimidated,” Scheepers said.
He said people had the right to protest, sing and celebrate, but they had to stay within the law and respect the rights of others. He added that police would act both before and after incidents, and that those arrested would face the consequences through the courts.
Scheepers said security operations would cover the periods before, during and after the elections. He said police would stay alert even after the results were announced.
He also asked political parties and their supporters to accept the outcome, whether they won or lost. “Let us take the loss if it’s your time to lose,” he said.
IEC Provincial Electoral Officer Itumeleng Seanego said more than 99% of electoral staff had been recruited and trained. He said a backup plan was in place to replace staff in all districts.
According to the IEC, Limpopo has 3,037,387 registered voters across 3,315 voting districts. The province has 568 municipal wards in five districts and 22 municipalities.
Seanego said 18,058 candidates had been registered to contest the elections, while 903 had been disqualified. He said the IEC had received all batches of ballot papers, and quality checks were complete.
He said 4,512 voter management devices were being prepared, with more than 99% already processed and allocated to municipalities.
The provincial results centre will be at Ranch Resorts in Polokwane, Seanego said. Audit firm Nexia SAB&T has been appointed to audit the results, with teams at local offices and the provincial centre.
Seanego said parties and candidates had been given virtual access to the results technology. Parties were also invited to send IT experts to audit the commission’s results systems.
The IEC approved 341,809 special votes in Limpopo, Seanego said. These include 232,339 votes at voting stations and 109,470 home visits.
Special voting will take place on Monday, 2 November, and Tuesday, 3 November. Seanego said voters approved for home visits must be at home between 8am and 5pm until officials arrive.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.