57 cases registered on voting day as 21 political murders recorded during election period

21 politically motivated murder cases recorded during election period.

Police registered 57 criminal case dockets on voting day during South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections, while 21 murder cases classified as politically motivated have been recorded during the election period.

The figures were disclosed the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) Chairperson Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili during a Security Cluster briefing at the National Results Operations Centre in Midrand on Thursday, November 5.

According to Mosikili, 85 incidents were reported across the country on November 4, resulting in 57 criminal case dockets and 27 suspects arrested.

Of the 57 cases, 32 involved alleged contraventions of the Electoral Act, while the remaining cases included assault, intimidation, malicious damage to property, theft, crimen injuria, drunk and disorderly conduct, public violence, business burglary and fraud.

Mosikili said the arrests demonstrated the responsiveness and operational effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

“These interventions reinforce a clear position that the electoral environment is protected by the rule of law, and intimidation, violence, electoral misconduct and criminality will not be tolerated,” she said.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of criminal cases on voting day, with 15, followed by Limpopo with 11, the Eastern Cape with 10 and Gauteng with eight.

The Western Cape recorded four cases, while Mpumalanga and North West registered three each. The Free State recorded two cases and the Northern Cape one.

Gauteng recorded the highest number of arrests, with seven suspects apprehended, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with six and Limpopo and the Eastern Cape with four each.

Mpumalanga recorded three arrests, while the Free State and Northern Cape recorded two and one respectively. No arrests were reported in the North West and Western Cape at the time of the briefing.

The briefing also revealed that 21 murder cases classified as politically motivated had been registered in connection with the election period.

“To date, we have registered 21 murder cases which are politically motivated in relation to the election period,” Mosikili said.

These include the murder of a MK Party member in KwaZulu-Natal.

Police are also investigating separate killings in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, where a 57-year-old man was shot dead in the early hours of Thursday, November 5.

In an unrelated incident in Limpopo, a 31-year-old man was stabbed at a park opposite Florapark Comprehensive School in Polokwane.

A 35-year-old suspect was arrested following a swift police response.

Another murder was reported in KwaZulu-Natal, where a man was attacked and killed while walking home on Voting Day.

Mosikili said police were processing murder cases that occurred outside voting stations and outside voting hours.

Two additional deaths were reported since Monday, involving an elderly woman who collapsed and died upon arrival at hospital in Shallcross, KwaZulu-Natal, and an IEC official who died following a similar reported incident at Buhrmansdrift in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, North West, on November 2.

Police also recorded 65 criminal case dockets during special voting on November 2 and 3, resulting in 32 arrests.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of cases, with 16, followed by Limpopo with 13.

The Eastern Cape and Western Cape each recorded eight cases, Gauteng seven, Mpumalanga five, while the Free State and North West recorded four each. The Northern Cape reported no cases.

Limpopo recorded the highest number of arrests during special voting, with 11 suspects apprehended, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with eight.

Mpumalanga recorded four arrests, while the Eastern Cape and North West recorded three each. Gauteng had three arrests, while the Free State and Western Cape reported none.

Combined with the 27 arrests on voting day, the total number of suspects arrested in connection with criminal cases recorded during the election period stood at 59.

Mosikili said coordinated security deployments ensured that voting day was conducted in a largely conducive and safe environment, with minimal disruptions.

Security operations prioritised 331 identified high-risk voting stations across four provinces, including 165 in KwaZulu-Natal, 119 in Gauteng, 33 in the Western Cape and 11 in Mpumalanga.

She said planned marches and protests across provinces did not materialise, while operational, logistical and service delivery challenges at some voting stations were addressed by law enforcement to allow voting to continue.

"Police also acted against a member in KwaZulu-Natal who arrived at a voting station in a vehicle displaying political party branding. Cooperation between law enforcement and the IEC resulted in interventions involving officials allegedly implicated in electoral transgressions," said Mosikili.

Mosikili stressed that electoral violations and criminal conduct would be dealt with decisively, irrespective of those involved.

“No individual is above the law,” she said.

Meanwhile, counting, reconciliation, verification and capturing of election results remain underway nationally.

Mosikili added that operational responsibilities would continue, with particular emphasis on protecting voting materials, securing results operations and safeguarding the integrity of the results-management process.

She said NATJOINTS remained committed to maintaining its security posture until the elections were formally concluded.

“The democratic rights of South Africans must be protected, the integrity of the electoral process must be upheld, and the authority of the State must be asserted through lawful, visible and decisive action,” Mosikili said.