Additional Public Order Policing (POP) members will be deployed to different parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Mthatha in the Eastern Cape to beef up the current law enforcement agencies’ deployments and intensify crime combatting efforts.

This was announced during a send-off parade for more than 700 POP members in Harrismith on Monday.

National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, addressed the parade and said the officers will add to the existing capacity of members currently deployed in these provinces to ensure that voting takes place in a safe and secure environment.

Masemola, in his address, gave the men and women in blue marching orders to ensure they prevent and combat any acts of criminality and protect the rights of South Africans to vote in a peaceful environment.

He said police have mobilised their maximum resources to combat the lawlessness in Mthatha, which included the blocking of roads on Monday. Roads opened again on Tuesday.

“We are sending you off to maintain law and order. No disruptions and acts of criminality should take place under your watch. We are sending you out there to protect the constitutional right of South Africans and the integrity of the election process,” said Masemola

The co-chair of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, also formed part of the parade.

She urged members to execute their duties within the ambit of the law.