The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) along with the state’s other major visible security agency, the SA Police Service (SAPS), will play a major part in ensuring “a peaceful, safe, free and fair election” on May 7.
With voting day three weeks away, Cabinet’s Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS), in the form of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, said “all measures” have been put in place for a safe and secure election.
“We will not allow anyone to derail the elections or prevent anyone from exercising his or her constitutionally enshrined right to vote,” he said in Pretoria earlier this week.
Through the National Joint Operations Centre (Natjoints), sited at the SANDF Joint Operation headquarters in Thaba Tshwane, the SANDF, SAPS and relevant government departments, including the Department of Home Affairs, as well as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), will work to ensure Mthethwa’s assurance of a peaceful and safe election happen.
The SANDF, he said, “stands ready” to provide transport and logistics as with previous elections. Additionally the country’s military will be on standby to provide “any support” that may be required by police and the IEC.
While not confirmed by the SANDF, defenceWeb has been reliably informed “a number of SA Air Force (SAAF) assets” will be deployed before and during voting day.
At least some of the assets are earmarked for AFB Waterkloof in Centurion with indications that AFB Bloemspruit and AFB Ysterplaat will also see more aircraft movements than normal in the days running up to Wednesday, May 7, as well as on voting day.
Police and soldiers will be deployed at any number of voting stations across the country to ensure there is zero disruption to the voting process. He did not give any indication of the numbers of soldiers and police who will be deployed at voting stations.
“They will act decisively and without hesitation against anyone found to intimidate or incite any person or persons or perpetrate violent acts during the elections,” Mthethwa said, adding the scale of deployment at each voting station will be determined by “risk assessments conducted by the security structures”.
