Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise. Image: GCIS/Flickr.
2024 elections: Government issues stern warning to ‘disruptors’
Government is positive that the upcoming National and Provincial Elections will be conducted in a safe and secure environment.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise. Image: GCIS/Flickr.
The government has warned anyone with intentions to disrupt the upcoming elections that the law enforcement officers will deal with them decisively and put them behind bars.
Defence Minister Thandi Modise revealed this during a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday, 28 April.
STERN WARNING FOR DISRUPTORS AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
During a briefing by the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) Cluster, Modise said law enforcement officers will deal with anyone who intends to disrupt the elections decisively and will put them behind bars.
Modise said no one has a right to intimidate and prevent others from exercising their Constitutional right to vote for a party of their choice.
“We want to assure the public of the JCPS Cluster’s readiness to protect the public, our country’s strategic installations, and infrastructure during the election period. We will do everything in our power to protect all who want to exercise their Constitutional right to vote,” she said.
The 2024 General Elections are believed to be the most contested in the history of this country.
According to the Electoral Commission (IEC), 70 political parties are contesting the elections, 11 independent candidates and the national contestants are 52. At the same time, over 14 900 candidates are vying for 887 seats in the National and Provincial Legislatures.
Modise said their approach as the JCPS Cluster ensures coordinated and intelligence-led planning and operations pre-, during, and post-elections, 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 for safety and security planning.
“Our law enforcement agencies have led the development of the national security plan, which the Ministers of the JCPS Cluster have approved. 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.
