Police will 'act decisively', army will protect infrastructure in KZN

The defence force has been deployed to guard infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the elections on Wednesday.

This comes as several incidents of protest action by municipal workers as well as fed-up community members played out in the last week in various parts of the province, including greater Durban.

Provincial police spokesperson Jay Naicker confirmed on Tuesday that the army had been deployed to the province, not at voting stations but to look after "strategic infrastructure", understood to be electricity substations and water reservoirs.

"They have been posted to safeguard strategic infrastructure, since Monday afternoon. There have always been threats and the police have been guarding infrastructure since then, however we now have the elections to concentrate on," said Naicker.

Meanwhile, the justice, crime prevention and security cluster (JCPS) - which includes key security agencies and provincial government departments - said on Tuesday that it was "aware of the intention in some identified wards by some to use the election date to heighten demands and put pressure on government using elections as a strategic bargaining tool.

"In some instances, government and the political leadership had to intervene to neutralise the situation in certain areas, where there were reports of instability.

"In an effort to curb these protests, we have reclassified some of these areas as high risk."

The JCPS said once categorised as high risk, more attention will be given and additional resources will be allocated to those areas.

"Demonstrations must peaceful and not infringe on the rights of others.

"Police have been given a clear instruction to act decisively, within the ambit of the law, against illegal protesters."

The JCPS added: "The situation is being monitored in eThekwini following the recent labour unrest and sabotage of essential services, such as water and electricity.

"We have no doubt that disgruntled employees and the eThekwini Metro are working around the clock to find a lasting solution to this impasse."

It warned that tough measures have also been developed to deal with truck blockades mainly on the N2 and N3.

"We view the ongoing threats by truck drivers to disrupt elections in a serious light. We have initiated engagements with the National Prosecuting Authority and Justice Department to attend to the cases of blockades speedily and impose harsh sentences that will serve as a deterrent."

According to the JCPS, over 70,000 law enforcement and government officials will be deployed on Wednesday to assist in "securing the elections".

"The majority of the personnel deployed are members of the South African Police Service, who have been deployed to all voting stations in the province.

Other specialised teams will be placed on stand-by to assist with the reinforcements if needed. Areas, such as eThekwini, Zululand District in areas, such as AbaQulusi and eDumbe, Alfred Duma municipality under uThukela, uMzimkhulu and areas like Maphumulo, Mandeni, Ndwedwe and KwaDukuza – will receive extra attention.

"The intelligence structures have also been activated and will be operating throughout the province for early warning systems and to assist government in making proactive interventions."