• Concerns are mounting over the possibility of post-election violence in KwaZulu-Natal.
• The Phoenix Peace and Development Committee, alongside community leaders, has called for increased law enforcement visibility in vulnerable areas to pre-empt any potential unrest. 
• However, police say there have been no incidents.
• Track the latest results via our Elections Map.

The Phoenix Peace and Development Committee has called on law enforcement officials to increase visibility due to fears of post-election violence in KwaZulu-Natal.

The call comes after the circulation of WhatsApp messages and social media posts that warned of possible looting and post-election unrest. 

The messages started spreading after the Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC) announcement of the results of the 2024 general elections on Sunday, the committee said.

Committee coordinator Sham Maharaj said the community policing forum (CPF), private security companies, and the police were alerted.

But, he added, law enforcement agencies assured them that the messages were false and that they had been sent to intelligence officials for investigation. 

“It’s not that we don’t believe that they (the messages) are fake but that the fact that people are sharing them means panic and fear. We got assurance from the police and army that they were on the ground and that, should anything happen, they could respond.

“We have faith in the law enforcement agencies that they are prepared. What is also helping now is that there hasn’t been any visible movement on the ground, and the situation is normal. Police visibility, especially in the vulnerable areas, should be increased at this point to prevent any possible violence,” Maharaj said.

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On Saturday evening, former president Jacob Zuma, the face of the uMkontho weSizwe Party (MKP), insisted that the IEC should not declare the election results until the party’s complaints, which included unsubstantiated vote-rigging claims, and its call for a recount were dealt with.

Zuma said any declaration would be tantamount to provoking the MK Party, which, along with several other political parties, had lodged objections with the IEC.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda urged residents not to panic and said police and the army were on the ground as part of their election plans. 

“We had anticipated that there might be those who would feel aggrieved with the result, and they might want to check their chances, and we did plan. Also, some could have won and celebrated by going wild and creating havoc. So we also planned for that as well. So, the army and police on the ground are not new deployments but part of the plan.

“There are areas [where] we have downscaled because the risk assessment has decreased. They have been on the ground before the election and will be until we are convinced that the country is stable,” said Netshiunda. 

Maharaj added that the 2021 July unrest caused severe damage to society and the economy. Thirty-six people were killed in Phoenix alone.

“We are still recovering from the previous unrest. But at the moment, everyone is feeling a bit more comfortable that there won’t be any unrest,” he said.

Nkosi Mhlongo, a community leader in Zwelisha and the convenor of the peace committee, said they had also been made aware of the messages.

He said community member’s lives were lost during the 2021 unrest, especially the lives of young people:

“Some people are still disabled today because of the unrest. So it’s shocking to see people panicking on social media about another unrest. It shows that people are scared. We wish that the police would arrest the people creating these messages and increase their visibility around vulnerable areas,” Mhlongo said. 

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The Durban North Community Police Forum (CPF) told residents they had been informed of the messages.

But it added that there was no positive intelligence to indicate any unrest at this stage.

Nonetheless, the forum said its members and all law enforcement entities, including Public Order Policing units, were on high alert and on standby to prevent and combat any incidences of violence, looting, unrest, or road closures.

“We would like to let our residents know that the CPF has a concise and detailed action plan that includes our security partners, law enforcement entities and a team of dedicated, trained members to activate at a moment’s notice in the eventuality of any localised incidents of disruption, unrest or violence.

“We ask that you rely on information from your ward councillors, the CPF or other official structures, and refrain from sharing unverified voice notes and messages that have started circulating, which only lead to fear and panic,” it told residents.

Magma Security is working with the police to increase visibility, and about 200 security guards are on the ground monitoring the situation.

Owner Shaheen Suleiman urged politicians to be responsible in sorting out their coalition issues to avoid unnecessary bloodshed or riots. He said the security company had also received calls from the business community to be on standby.

“There have been a lot of rumours, but at this moment, it’s been quiet. It takes one stupid person to write a message and cause one big problem for many. But our members are on the ground, and we work with the police, the army, and other private security companies. We worked with police months before the elections, and an increased deployment after the election was also raised, and that is where we are now,” he said.