Police satisfied with level of political tolerance in KZN ahead of polls
The police formed part of a security cluster briefing on Monday morning - outlining plans to secure the polls.
FILE: KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey Makhaza/EWN
DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal police say they are satisfied with the level of political tolerance in the province during campaign trails.
The police formed part of a security cluster briefing on Monday morning, outlining plans to secure the polls.
Provincial Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said that the latest electioneering period had seen far fewer incidents than in the past.
Political campaigns have historically been met with chaos in parts of the province, including Zululand, particularly between ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters.
In the 2021 local polls, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema also had a challenge campaigning in Umsunduzi, as ANC supporters prevented him from accessing a voting station.
However, authorities said that things had been different this year, as campaigns had been without incident.
Mkhwanazi said this was the level of tolerance law enforcement wanted to see.
"With the level of tolerance we’ve seen in the province, it is encouraging because different political parties are able to go and campaign in places that ordinarily were seen or perceived to be belonging to other political parties."
He, however, said that police would still be deployed, even in low-risk areas for stability and maintained that they would not leave anything to chance.