Gauteng rolls out helicopters and drones to guard the local elections

Gauteng’s law enforcement agencies will police the 2026 local government elections with helicopters, drones and specialised vehicles added to deployments on the ground, the province’s police commissioner said at a media briefing in Mayfair, Johannesburg, on Tuesday morning.

Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, the Gauteng provincial commissioner and co-chair of the Provincial Joint Operational Structure, said the plan is already being implemented. “We have a comprehensive operational plan aimed at safeguarding electoral infrastructure, protecting election personnel and ensuring that voters can participate freely without intimidation,” he said.

He was joined at the briefing at Arthur Block by Colonel Jackie Mmaphuti Sindimba of the South African National Defence Force and Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department chief, Commissioner Yolanda Faro. Deputy provincial commissioners, district commissioners and senior managers from the joint structure’s stakeholders attended.

The air support, displayed outside the briefing, will work alongside ground deployments. “The helicopters and specialised vehicles displayed outside will augment our deployments on the ground,” Mthombeni said. “Air support will be provided through these helicopters, as well as drones, strengthening our monitoring and operational capabilities.”

Private security is part of the arrangement. Mthombeni said the police are working with Business Against Crime South Africa through its Eyes and Ears initiative, which he described as joining the operation as a partner.

The briefing set out the shape of the security plan rather than any specific incident or deployment figure. What voters are being promised is monitoring from the air and additional capacity on the ground, with the joint structure drawn from the police, the defence force and metro police in the capital.