A government team says it’s all systems go on the state of readiness for the fourth democratic local government elections but is concerned about intimidation and violence ahead of the poll.The inter-ministerial committee‚ led by Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen‚ met on Friday to gauge preparations for the poll on August 3.The team voiced concern over acts of intimidation and violence in certain areas where residents do not agree with decisions made by the Municipal Demarcation Board.“We continue to strongly condemn the acts of intimidation and the destruction of state properties in those areas‚” said Van Rooyen.“We want to reiterate that we agree that people have a right to protest‚ but that should not mean to destroy public and private property. That we cannot accept. We have engaged with the affected communities and we will continue to do so. We believe that our efforts will bear fruit‚” he said. The committee is tasked with overseeing the smooth running of the elections and ensuring that voters are able to cast their votes in an environment that is free and fair.“We are at Day 56 in our countdown to Election Day and today’s interaction gives us an opportunity to assess our preparations for the coming local government elections. To date‚ government has embarked on a communication campaign to call on all eligible voters that have registered to vote to exercise their right to vote‚ come the 3rd of August 2016‚” said Van Rooyen.He said there had been a significant increase in the number of political parties registered at 530.Police would ensure there was “stability and security” in areas where there has been conflict‚ he said.“We are now left with just under two months to ensure that we have free and fair 2016 local government elections. This‚ whilst we are awaiting an important Constitutional Court decision on the clarification of the challenges relating to citizens and households without formal addresses‚” said Van Rooyen...