Defence Minister Charles Nqakula and his deputy Fezile Bengu will tour parts of KwaZulu-Natal with the police on Tuesday to assess security preparations ahead of Wednesday’s election, the ministry said.
Spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said they would travel through uMsinga, Greytown and Pomeroy for the final check.
KwaZulu-Natal has been flagged as a security hotspot in the face of competition between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
The leaders of both parties — Jacob Zuma and Mangosuthu Buthelezi — hail from the region and the two parties have a history of conflict over control of the province.
In his final rally on Sunday, Buthelezi claimed that the elections there would not be free and fair due to irregularities.
Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa said last week the province remained under the ”watchful eye” of the security cluster until election-related activities were over.
Nongoma, Estcourt, Ulundi, KwaDukuza, Greytown, uMsinga and hostels were identified as hotspots in the most recent assessments.
They had arrested 60 people on election-related matters and confiscated a number of illegally owned weapons.
The only other threat the cluster identified was a possible protest by taxi operators in the Western Cape and Gauteng over the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
This appears to have been abandoned according to a statement by the National Taxi Alliance on Monday.
There were also concerns related to the Moutse area where there is a demarcation dispute over whether residents should be administered by Limpopo or Mpumalanga.
Cabinet has decided on further consultations on the matter, and the forum which was leading demarcation protests has withdrawn its threat to boycott the poll. — Sapa