Two women arrested over alleged IEC impersonation in Eastern Cape

Two women have been arrested in the Eastern Cape after allegedly posing as Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials to obtain election materials from a police station ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

According to EWN, the incident reportedly occurred at Ngcobo Police Station in the early hours of Monday, 2 November, when the suspects allegedly arrived claiming they had been authorised by a presiding officer to collect voting materials.

The arrests come as election officials oversee the final stages of special voting across the country, with the main local government elections scheduled for tomorrow on Wednesday, 4 November.

Eastern Cape police confirmed the arrests, with spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana identifying the suspects as two women aged 57 and 61.

The women allegedly attempted to collect election materials by claiming they had been sent by the presiding officer responsible for the voting station.

However, the official was reportedly already present at the police station and denied having authorised anyone to collect the materials on their behalf.

In a separate report, eNCA detailed that the incident occurred at approximately 04:30 on Monday. The suspects were identified before they could leave the premises, and the voting materials were confiscated.

Police subsequently confirmed that both women had been arrested on Tuesday, 3 November, and were being processed.

Further details have emerged from the IEC’s provincial office, with SABC News reporting that Eastern Cape Provincial Electoral Officer Khayakazi Magudumana identified one of the women as a proportional representation (PR) candidate contesting the local government elections in the Engcobo Municipality.

Magudumana told the broadcaster that one suspect had been arrested, while police were still looking for the second woman.

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