---
title: "IEC tightens security amid ballot disruptions, arrests and election intimidation"
description: "Ballot storage facilities have been targeted, election materials damaged and arrests made across several provinces, leaving thousands of police and the IEC racing to secure the voting process ahead of Wednesday’s polls."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026"
authors:
  - name: "Reitumetse Pilane"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reitumetse-pilane/"
  - name: "Nonkululeko Njilo"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/nonkululeko-njilo/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-11-03-iec-tightens-security-amid-ballot-disruptions-arrests-and-election-intimidation/"
published: "2026-11-03T23:58:58"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1562
---

# IEC tightens security amid ballot disruptions, arrests and election intimidation

> Ballot storage facilities have been targeted, election materials damaged and arrests made across several provinces, leaving thousands of police and the IEC racing to secure the voting process ahead of Wednesday’s polls.

By Reitumetse Pilane and Nonkululeko Njilo · Published 4 November 2026, 01:58 SAST

## Key points
- The IEC has tightened security at ballot storage facilities in KwaZulu-Natal after alleged party supporters disrupted operations and officials were reportedly held hostage.
- KwaZulu-Natal has 165 high-risk voting stations — nearly half the national total — with more than 10,000 police deployed ahead of Wednesday’s local government elections.
- Election-related arrests and incidents have also been reported in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and elsewhere, including alleged impersonation, intimidation and damage to election materials.
- Police are investigating 21 cases, while the IEC says it will pursue criminal charges against anyone found trying to interfere with the vote.

## Content

Hours before millions of South Africans head to the polls, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has been forced to beef up security at ballot storage facilities across KwaZulu-Natal following a series of disruptions, including an incident in which party supporters stormed a facility and prevented election officials from carrying out their duties.

The most serious incident occurred on Monday evening, 2 November, at the Dassenhoek Library Satellite Warehouse in Marianhill, west of Durban, where a group wearing political party clothing entered the premises and demanded that ballot boxes containing special votes be moved elsewhere, claiming the building was not secure because it had previously been broken into.

The facility serves 24 voting stations in the area, and the confrontation disrupted operations at two of them after election officials were prevented from moving freely in and out of the premises to collect election material.

Similar attempts to gain access to ballot storage facilities were reported in Richmond, Mkhambathini and Pietermaritzburg, although police managed to prevent those involved from entering, prompting the IEC to request additional security across the province.

Speaking to journalists at the KwaZulu-Natal results centre in Durban on Tuesday, the IEC’s provincial electoral officer, Ntombifuthi Masinga, said: “We have now requested that the SAPS reinforce security in all our storage facilities in the province.”

![security](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/v2HuGHCCAt2G_p1rDT5XtaGsrUU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Tumi-top5-IEC1_531055.jpg)

*IEC chief executive Sy Mamabolo addresses media at the National Results Operations Centre at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg on 2 November 2026. (Photo: Reitumetse Pilane)*

During a separate national briefing in Midrand, Gauteng, IEC chief executive Sy Mamabolo identified those involved in the Marianhill incident as alleged uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party supporters and said election officials had been held hostage before police intervened.

“Public order police were called in to disperse these supporters and secure the officials and the election materials. Fortunately, the group left peacefully after engagement with the SAPS,” Mamabolo said.

However, the MK party’s Willies Mchunu cast doubt on suggestions that those involved were party members and condemned the incident in the strongest possible terms.

### **IEC investigates political party involvement**

While Mamabolo had identified those involved as alleged MK party supporters, the provincial IEC said it was still investigating whether the people wearing party clothing were genuine members or individuals pretending to represent the party.

Responding to a question from Daily Maverick, the commission said it could not yet confirm their political affiliation and was working to establish who had entered the premises before taking legal action.

“All the people that were in that precinct were wearing party apparel.

Masinga said the people had claimed to belong to a party, “but we cannot unfortunately say with certainty” that this had been the case.

The commission said it had already approached the political party concerned and was examining video footage of the incident to determine whether those involved were party members or people pretending to represent the party.

“We have engaged the political party concerned, and we will be able to ascertain whether those were their members or people who were pretending to be, or people who were masquerading as, members of a political party,” the IEC said.

The commission made it clear that those responsible would face legal consequences once the investigation had established their identities.

“We will definitely press criminal charges,” Masinga said.

### **KZN leads in high-risk voting stations**

The incidents come against the backdrop of heightened election security in KwaZulu-Natal, where 165 voting stations have been identified as high risk, the highest number in the country. More than 10,000 police officers have reportedly been deployed ahead of the Wednesday, 4 November local government elections.

![security](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/MrWdllwrNJES_g29iTn8HEG4CtA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/sibiyacourt-carynlunga4_593113.jpg)

*National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola. (Photo: Gallo Images / Frennie Shivambu)*

Last week, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola revealed that more than 300 voting stations across the country had been identified as high-risk, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for nearly half of them.

Speaking in Durban on Friday, Masemola said police had identified areas where protests, political tensions and other security-related incidents could affect voting, with most of the province’s high-risk stations concentrated in eThekwini.

[Media: "Chart: KwaZulu-Natal holds nearly half of South Africa's high-risk voting stations"](https://charts.dailymaverick.co.za/chart/903b933cdef4f2c7cafde814)

“These voting stations are located in areas potentially to experience either instability, particularly, be it your protests and/or other security-related incidents,” he said.

“KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of those voting stations. We have identified 165 across the province, of which 124 are in eThekwini, and the others are distributed around uThukela, 16, 13 in Amajuba, 11 in Zululand and one in Ugu.”

Gauteng has also been identified as a province of concern, with provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni confirming that 119 voting stations had been classified as high-risk.

### **IEC defends security arrangements**

Despite the incidents, the IEC has defended the security arrangements at its ballot storage facilities, saying the initial police deployments were considered sufficient because officials had not anticipated groups forcing their way on to the premises.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that the SAPS was not prepared. I think the numbers that they had posted in these facilities were adequate in a normal circumstance,” the IEC said during Tuesday's provincial briefing.

“But no one would have predicted that in one out of so many, there \[would\] be people forcing their way into the precinct.”

The commission explained that the Marianhill facility presented a particular challenge because it shared an entrance with a public library, making it difficult for security personnel to distinguish people visiting the library from those attempting to gain access to the ballot storage area.

Although police eventually dispersed the group, the IEC acknowledged that reinforcements had not arrived as quickly as it would have liked, but maintained that officers had managed to restore order and secure the election material.

“It may not be as quick as we would have loved to see it happening, but they got reinforcement, and those people were driven out of the facility,” the commission said.

The IEC also revealed that some political parties had demanded permission to deploy their own private security companies at storage facilities, despite the presence of permanent security personnel, SAPS officers and private security guards appointed by the commission.

“They also want to post their own private security companies, and we did not allow that,” the IEC said, explaining that it believed the existing arrangements were sufficient.

“Three layers of security, as far as we are concerned, are sufficient to secure these storage facilities.”

### **Other election-related incidents**

The IEC has also reported incidents involving election officials and political party candidates in other parts of the country, raising further concerns about attempts to interfere with election operations.

Masinga confirmed that a presiding officer in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal, had been suspended after arranging for her son to collect her from a voting station in a vehicle branded in ANC colours, while she was in possession of election material.

In the Eastern Cape, two individuals allegedly posed as IEC officials and attempted to collect election material from the eNgcobo Police Station, but were prevented from gaining access.

“These two failed to access the materials. They were positively identified as members of Ngcobo Yethu Civic Organisation. One of the impersonators is a PR Councillor candidate for the same party and has since been arrested by the SAPS,” Mamabolo said.

In Mpumalanga, a councillor candidate for Ward 30 in the Phake Rankaila voting district was arrested after allegedly storming a voting station and damaging election material.

The commission condemned the incidents and said it was taking legal steps to hold those involved accountable.

“The above conduct cannot be justified nor allowed to impair the country’s electoral process. Therefore, the commission is taking the necessary legal steps to bring the identified individuals and political parties to account,” the IEC said.

### **Police on high alert**

Police are on high alert across the country for Wednesday’s local government elections, with the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) warning that intimidation, violence and attempts to disrupt voting will not be tolerated.

![security](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/4STpe5EC4fc8uoTYdtLU9Cub1g4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Nonku-Tumi-MK-LGE1_675361.jpg)

*Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said 21 election-related cases had been recorded across the country since Sunday, 1 November 2026. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)*

Speaking during a briefing on Tuesday evening, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said security forces had stepped up their preparations to ensure that voters could cast their ballots safely, particularly in areas identified as potential hotspots for election-related violence and unrest.

Mosikili said 21 election-related cases had been recorded across the country since Sunday, including murder, intimidation, arson, theft and damage to election materials, with six dockets resulting in arrests and five cases already processed in court.

She also confirmed that police were investigating the killing of an MK party regional leader in KwaZulu-Natal, with support from political killing task teams.

“We recognise that these incidents have caused concern, particularly as the country approaches election day. However, we wish to assure South Africans that every incident brought to the attention of our operational structures is receiving the necessary attention and that appropriate interventions are being implemented,” she said.

Tuesday, 3 November, marked the final day of special voting ahead of the local government elections, with the process catering for registered voters who may be unable to visit their voting stations on election day because of illness, physical impairments or work and travel commitments.

With voting set to take place nationwide on Wednesday, 4 November, authorities have urged South Africans to exercise their democratic rights peacefully and allow the electoral process to proceed without interference. **DM**