Police finance chief walks Free State election nerve centre as special voting enters day two

The South African Police Service’s chief financial officer, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, toured the Free State Results Operations Centre in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, the second day of special voting, accompanied by the acting director-general of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Kalayvani Pillay, and Free State provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Thabang Lesia.

IEC provincial manager Itumeleng Liba briefed the delegation on operations at the centre, covering current activities, progress and operational matters being handled during the special voting process. Assistant managers Nkosana Macala, for electoral operations, and Mankae Ncheche, for outreach and communications, were also part of the welcome.

The visitors met members and officials on the ground to hear first-hand about the work under way, the challenges encountered and the coordination measures in place between the stakeholders at the centre.

SAPS described the walkabout as part of ongoing efforts to assess operational readiness and monitor progress in the province as special voting continued. The post was published with photographs from the service.

The visit is one of the routine oversight stops the police and justice departments make at election centres, where the police role is the security and safety of the process rather than its administration. The IEC runs the centre and the voting.

No incidents, disruptions or security problems at the Bloemfontein centre were reported in the SAPS account of the visit.