Elections 2026 | Police urged to focus on hotspots

Elections 2026 | Police urged to focus on hotspots Estelle.Bronkhorst Mon, 11/02/2026 - 11:00

Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) stand in formation as they monitor a demonstration by the "March and March" and Operation Dudula movements. AFP/Rodger Bosch

JOHANNESBURG - Police have been urged to closely monitor areas identified as high-risk for election-related violence ahead of this week's Local Government Elections.

Security strategist Andy Mashaile says intelligence gathering and proactive policing will be critical to ensuring safe polls.

Police have identified 331 voting stations across the country as high-risk, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for the highest number.

**READ: **Police identify over 300 high risk voting stations

Mashaile says intelligence teams should pay particular attention to areas where political killings and tensions have been reported.

He cites Bekkersdal, particularly the X Section, as an area requiring close monitoring.

Mashaile says intelligence gathering should include examining political conflicts, councillor killings and organisational disputes that could heighten tensions around election day.

He says, however, that his engagements with communities suggest there is little appetite for violence, with residents keen to exercise their right to vote.