Presiding officers were on their way to drop off ballot boxes at an overnight storage facility when they were allegedly ambushed.
THE IEC in Mpumalanga has raised concerns around staff safety after a group of people attacked their members in Hendrina on Monday, 27 May.
Presiding officers were on their way to drop off ballot boxes at an overnight storage facility when they were allegedly ambushed by a group of unknown assailants.
According to IEC provincial spokesman, Thanduxolo Chembeni, while the officers were transporting ballot boxes, they were blocked by a group of people who demanded to take pictures of the boxes.
“The officers allowed them to take pictures of the serial numbers. As some were taking pictures, one person from the group took a ballot box by force, and in the process, the seal below the ballot box broke, and the ballot papers in envelopes fell to the ground. During the squabble, police were then called,” he said.
Chembeni said a similar incident occurred at Elukwatini. However, the group didn’t manage to snatch the boxes from the officers.
He said in a video circulating on social media individuals are seen with a ballot box, taking pictures while police were present. The box is opened at the bottom.
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Meanwhile on the same day in Bushbuckridge, a group of people stormed a warehouse in Acornhoek where ballot papers are kept and demanded to see if the ballot boxes with special votes were safe.
Chembeni told Daily Sun the incidents are worrisome to the IEC because they put the lives of the staff at risk.
“Security personnel is working on ways to beef up security from now until the last day when the votes are counted,” he said.
He further called on communities to refrain from activities that are unbecoming.
“We request the public to refrain from disturbing the electoral process because they’re violating the rights of the voters. Political parties signed the code of conduct, which binds them to follow the rules.
“People must refrain from such activities and allow the process to continue peacefully and freely,” he said.
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