Elections were safe, 188 cases opened: Cele
Police Minister Bheki Cele says all voting stations were safe and secure during the elections.
Speaking at a post-election briefing by the security cluster in Pretoria, Cele said no major incidents were reported on election day.
He says a number of people were arrested for alleged electoral fraud.
They include 20 people arrested for trying to vote more than once on Wednesday.
Nineteen of them were nabbed in KwaZulu-Natal while another suspect was arrested in Gauteng.
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"In relation to alleged multiple voting - a total of eight cases and 24 arrests were noted. In terms of crime in general, the number of cases registered were 188 in total. 203 suspects were arrested, 53 cases are currently in court, 99 cases are under investigation. and 9 cases are currently with the senior public prosecutor for a decision," Cele said.
Cele says several people have also been convicted for taking down a billboard in KZN.
"Sixteen people were found guilty in one case in Mondlo, KwaZulu-Natal - accused of unlawfully defacing a billboard. Mr. Sihle Mhlambi was handed a R2000 fine or two months imprisonment. On the same charge in Mpumalanga, Mr. Oupa Mohlala was handed a R300 fine. In the Eastern Cape, 14 suspects were charged with public violence and sentenced to three months in prison," Cele said.
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Over 170 000 police were deployed in all nine provinces during the elections.
