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IEC to take legal action over election intimidation and tampering

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

The Electoral Commission said a sharp rise in criminal behaviour marked special voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said an estimated 1.3 million people had voted by midday, and that candidates and party supporters were involved.

Mamabolo said an Economic Freedom Fighters candidate for Ward 30 in Mpumalanga stormed a voting station and damaged election materials. Police arrested the candidate. He also said a candidate of the Ngcobo Yethu Civic Organisation was arrested in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. The Commission said that candidate posed as electoral officials to get election materials.

Mamabolo said supporters of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) stormed the Dassenhoek library satellite warehouse in KwaZulu-Natal, where election materials are kept. He said they held election officials hostage. He said MKP supporters made similar attempts to get materials at Richmond and Pietermaritzburg. Police dispersed MKP members.

Mamabolo said the conduct ranged from intimidation of officials to disruption of voting and tampering with materials. He said it cannot be justified and must not harm the country's democratic processes. The second and final day of special voting ended at 5pm on Tuesday.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (Chief Electoral Officer); Electoral Commission (election body that said it was taking legal steps against parties); uMkhonto weSizwe Party (party whose supporters allegedly stormed a warehouse in KwaZulu-Natal); Ngcobo Yethu Civic Organisation (civic organisation whose candidates were involved in an alleged theft attempt)
What
The Electoral Commission said on Tuesday it was taking legal steps against political parties over the conduct of their members during special voting, after a spike in criminal behaviour at polling stations. Mamabolo said MKP supporters stormed a library satellite warehouse in KwaZulu-Natal where election materials are kept and held election officials hostage.
When
3 November 2026
Where
Mpumalanga, Ngcobo, Eastern Cape
Status
Reported

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