Special votes go ahead calmly in Western Cape as police leadership tours stations

Special voting in the Western Cape proceeded calmly on Sunday, with police maintaining a visible presence at stations across the province as the local government elections approach.

Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi, accompanied by Lieutenant General Maropeng Mamotheti, the Divisional Commissioner for Visible Policing and Operations, and members of the Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, visited several voting stations during the day.

The South African Police Service said the visits were used to assess police deployments, check readiness at the stations and engage with members on the ground.

In a statement issued with photographs from the visits, the service said the situation remained calm and under control, with members deployed to ensure safety, stability and an orderly voting process across the province.

Special voting allows registered voters who cannot reach their stations on election day, including the elderly and people with disabilities, to cast their ballots earlier. The police presence described on Sunday is the operational side of that process, and the service gave no indication of any incident at the stations visited.