The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has assured South Africans of a safe and peaceful environment ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections, saying law enforcement agencies are prepared to deal decisively with political violence, intimidation and criminality.
Chairperson of NATJOINTS, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said the successful conclusion of the recent voter registration weekend without major security incidents demonstrated the country’s readiness to protect the electoral process.
“I am pleased to report that South Africa remains stable, law and order prevail, and our security forces continue to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone who lives in, works in and visits our country,” Mosikili said at a media briefing on Friday.
Voter registration provides election security test
NATJOINTS activated its election security plan during the voter registration weekend (1-2 August) in support of the Electoral Commission. Law enforcement was deployed countrywide to secure registration stations and respond to security-related incidents.
The registration weekend concluded without any major security incidents.
Mosikili said NATJOINTS had already activated an extensive operational plan for the Local Government Elections.
The plan includes visible policing, intelligence gathering, protection of election infrastructure, rapid response capability, crowd management and close coordination with the IEC and other stakeholders.
According to Mosikili, the registration period was also used as a practical exercise ahead of the elections that are set for 4 November.
“We have adopted as NATJOINTS a five-pillar approach. The first pillar of our operation is to collect intelligence, to analyse intelligence and advise the operations accordingly,” she said.
She explained that the absence of police officers at a particular voting station should not necessarily be interpreted as a lack of security.
“They may not have been there when you were there, but it doesn't mean that the police are not working. We have been observing the election, and we are using this registration as a drill towards the November elections,” Mosikili said.
She said more than 26 000 voting stations would be policed during the elections, with security assessments informing the level of deployment at individual stations.
“We categorise the security levels of voting stations, and we deploy accordingly; where there is no need for static, it's because the intelligence is advising as such. Where there is a need for a static deployment, it will also be determined by the level of challenges or security challenges,” Mosikili said.
Voting stations have been categorised according to security risks, including high-security alert areas or hotspots, with deployments to be adjusted according to intelligence received.
Mosikili said security numbers could not be disclosed in advance because operational requirements could change as intelligence was received.
Political killings
While election preparations have progressed without major security incidents during voter registration, NATJOINTS remains concerned about politically motivated killings ahead of the elections.
Mosikili issued a strong warning to individuals who may seek to use violence to influence political contestation.
“We are issuing a stern warning to anyone who is planning attacks, assassinations or acts of violence for political gain: you will be arrested, prosecuted and, upon conviction, face lengthy prison sentences. There is absolutely no justification for taking the life of another person because of political differences or political contestation,” she said.
The Political Killings Task Team, established in 2018, has arrested more than 400 suspects, including more than 180 alleged hitmen linked to the murders of councillors, political leaders and party members.
Since January, several politically motivated murders have been recorded, including the killings of two MK Party members in Gauteng, a Democratic Alliance ward councillor candidate in the Western Cape, two ANC councillors in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and two EFF members in Gauteng.
Seven suspects have so far been arrested in connection with these cases.
Mosikili said the task team’s mandate had been expanded to cover cases believed to be politically motivated and that additional capacity had been provided in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
“The political killing team will move swiftly, and we'll also recall that we also expanded this team in Gauteng as well as the Eastern Cape. So, there are teams,” she said.
She said members were also trained and deployed to other parts of the country when required.
Regarding the murder of a Durban councillor, Mosikili said the task team had taken over the investigation.
“As we speak, there is a strong team that is in place at hand, and it will continue to operate until we close all the gaps,” she said.
Protests
With anti-illegal immigration protests continuing in some parts of the country, NATJOINTS was also questioned about whether the protests could be linked to efforts to disrupt the Local Government Elections.
Mosikili said there was currently no evidence to establish such a link.
“There is no evidence that we can talk about. However, we are observing all events and activities leading to the elections,” she said.
She said intelligence structures would continue monitoring developments, particularly as election-related activities increase.
“I cannot say to you or the nation today that we are linking anti-foreign sentiments with the election. Anything is possible. Hence, we continue to collect, analyse, and provide intelligence on any other mushrooming or erection of any activity across the country,” she said.
Mosikili added that the security structure is therefore continuing to monitor developments while avoiding conclusions that are not supported by intelligence.
Public order operations continue
The security preparations come against the backdrop of demonstrations that took place on 30 June 2026.
Mosikili said the operations on that day demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated planning between government departments, law enforcement agencies and security services.
The objectives were to protect lives and property, safeguard the economy and protect constitutional rights while dealing decisively with criminality.
According to NATJOINTS, the country remained functional, critical infrastructure continued operating, and most South Africans went about their daily activities without disruption.
Although protest activity has since declined significantly, isolated and localised demonstrations continue in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
During the course of July, 212 public order incidents were recorded nationally. These included 128 peaceful marches, 70 gatherings, nine unrest-related incidents requiring police intervention and five incidents involving looting.
A total of 205 criminal cases were opened, and 354 suspects were arrested as a consequence of criminal activity committed during these incidents.
Security structures ready for elections
Mosikili said NATJOINTS is working alongside the IEC through the priority committee responsible for the Local Government Elections.
“For the elections, we are prepared, as I've indicated, and in the priority committee that is working on Local Government Elections, we work alongside the Electoral Commission.”
With the election security plan already activated, NATJOINTS said its focus would remain on intelligence-led deployments, protecting election infrastructure, preventing political violence and ensuring that voters could exercise their democratic rights without fear or intimidation.
The structure reiterated that South Africa remains governed by the rule of law and that no person has the right to intimidate communities, destroy property, loot businesses or commit acts of violence.
“Law enforcement agencies will continue enforcing the law fairly and impartially,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
