Two Women Arrested for Pretending to Be IEC Officials in Eastern Cape
- Two women were arrested in the Eastern Cape after allegedly posing as Electoral Commission officials at a police station
- The suspects reportedly arrived at Ngcobo Police Station at 4:30am and claimed they had been sent to collect voting materials
- Their story unravelled when police discovered the presiding officer they named was already at the station
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EASTERN CAPE — Two women have been arrested after allegedly impersonating Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials and attempting to collect voting materials from a police station in the Eastern Cape.
The suspects, aged 57 and 61, were taken into custody on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, in connection with an incident that took place at Ngcobo Police Station the previous day.
Suspects caught at Ngcobo Police Station
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, the two women arrived at the station at approximately 4:30am on Monday, 2 November, and presented themselves as IEC officials. They told officers they had been dispatched by the presiding officer to retrieve voting materials on their behalf.
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Their account quickly fell apart. It emerged that the very presiding officer they had cited was already present at the police station and had given no such instruction. Police identified the women before they could leave the premises, and the voting materials were confiscated on the spot.
Gantana confirmed that both suspects had been arrested and were being processed by police at the time of reporting.
Arrests come ahead of 2026 local government elections
The incident occurred as South Africa prepares for the 2026 local government elections, a period during which authorities have intensified efforts to safeguard electoral materials and uphold the integrity of the voting process.
The women remain suspects. The allegations against them have not yet been tested in court.
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IEC official found guilty of contravening voting laws
In other news, an IEC official has been found guilty of contravening electoral laws after she admitted to voting 24 times in the local elections Nomusa Gabuza admitted to voting 12 times for the municipal elections and a further 12 for the ward elections An internal process that was created to identify voter fraud detected her multiple votes, new measures implemented promised to eliminate multiple votes.
IEC appears in court over vote rigging allegations
Previously, Briefly News reported that the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s bid to prove they were robbed in the 2024 national elections escalated. Jacob Zuma’s party has long since maintained that vote rigging during the elections prevented an accurate representation of voters’ voices. While the party has never fully detailed what evidence they have, the appearance of an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) official in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates’ Court has gave them reason to celebrate.
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Source: Briefly News
