- Police recorded 85 incidents on voting day, resulting in 57 criminal cases and 27 arrests.
- The reported offences included assault, intimidation, malicious damage to property, theft, fraud and contraventions of electoral legislation.
- Security deployments will continue until the counting and results-management processes are completed.
Police recorded 85 incidents across South Africa during the 2026 Local Government Elections voting day on 4 November 2026, with 57 criminal cases registered and 27 suspects arrested.
National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) chairperson Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili announced the figures during a media briefing on Thursday, 5 November 2026, at the IEC Results Operation Centre in Midrand, as the Security Cluster reported on its operational response to the elections held on Wednesday.
Mosikili said the coordinated deployment of law enforcement agencies had ensured that voting took place in a largely conducive and safe environment, with minimal disruptions.
She said eligible voters were able to exercise their democratic rights while security forces maintained law and order, responded to reported incidents and addressed emerging threats across the provinces.
Police register 57 cases on voting day
According to Mosikili, the 85 incidents reported on 4 November resulted in 57 registered criminal cases and 27 arrests. The offences included two cases involving contraventions of electoral legislation, four cases of assault, two cases of malicious property damage, two cases of intimidation, one theft case, two cases of crimen injuria, one fraud case and incidents involving disorderly conduct at voting stations and public violence.
She said the arrests demonstrated the responsiveness and operational effectiveness of law enforcement agencies during the elections. Mosikili warned that intimidation, violence, violations of electoral processes and other criminal conduct would not be tolerated.
She said law enforcement agencies would continue investigating reported incidents and pursuing criminal cases through the justice system.
Deaths reported during election period
The NATJOINTS chairperson also addressed several deaths reported during the election period, including incidents outside official voting hours.
In Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, a 37-year-old man was reportedly shot and killed in the early hours of Thursday morning. In an unrelated incident in Limpopo, police registered a murder case following the stabbing of a 21-year-old man. A 35-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the killing.
The briefing also referred to the death of an elderly woman who collapsed and died upon arrival at a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the death of an IEC official in North West on 2 November. Mosikili extended condolences to the families of those who had lost loved ones.
She said cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) remained important in maintaining security and accountability during the electoral process.
She also cited police action involving an IEC official in KwaZulu-Natal who allegedly arrived at a voting station wearing branding associated with a hijacked political party, saying the response demonstrated that no individual was above the law.
Security operations continue during counting
With voting concluded, Mosikili said the security operation had entered the post-election phase, with counting, reconciliation, verification and capturing of results continuing nationally.
She said NATJOINTS would maintain its operational presence, with particular attention to protecting voting materials, securing results operation centres and safeguarding the integrity of the results-management process. The security deployment would remain in place until the 2026 Local Government Elections had been fully concluded.
Mosikili said the Security Cluster’s operational response reflected its constitutional responsibility to protect the democratic rights of South Africans and uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
She thanked law enforcement officers, government departments, the IEC and other stakeholders who contributed to maintaining a safe electoral environment. She also commended communities and eligible voters for participating in the democratic process.
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