2024 General Elections: 20 Arrested for Elections-Related Crimes
- The South African Police Service arrested 30 people in Gauteng for crimes related to the 2024 general elections
- Gauteng's SAPS commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, said that the SAPS ensured that there was no interference from the community
- He also stressed that it is illegal to take pictures of ballots during elections and some of the issues related to fights between voters and other misdemeanours
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Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.
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JOHANNESBURG— The South African Police Service in Gauteng said it managed to keep unrest to a minimum and arrested 20 people during the election period.
Gauteng SAPS arrests 20 people
According to Zimoja, SAPS's Gauteng commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, said that the arrests on 29 May were for offences, including violent scuffles between voters. He said some voters opened cases against those who attacked them, and the üolice made arrests.
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Mthombeni also stressed the illegal nature of taking pictures of ballots.
"The purpose of the law is to maintain the secrecy of your vote and privacy of others. It is crucial to understand this regulation in the context of its purpose to protect vulnerable voters from coercion," he said.
The Independent Electoral Commission added that restricting people from capturing their marked ballots was to prevent people from voting for favours.
The African National Congress could be looking at a coalition as it gained just over 43% of the results counted when the country voted on 29 May. Experts said voter turnout was lower despite the distractions and the IEC glitch. The MK's performance surprised many as it clinched the KwaZulu-Natal province by a majority.
African Union calls on IEC to investigate glitch
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the former president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, called on the IEC to investigate the glitch that temporarily halted the elections.
Kenyatta, observing the elections on behalf of the AU, said the glitch was worrying.
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Source: Briefly News
