THE National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has cautioned communities against vandalising, defacing and removing posters of political parties ahead of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
“Anyone found to be tampering with these posters or vandalising them will be arrested. Such cases have been reported, and arrests have been made,” said the Deputy National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, during a media briefing.
Led by the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the State Security Agency (SSA), NATJOINTS reminded communities that the constitution protects citizens’ rights to make political choices.
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These rights include the right to participate in the activities of, or recruit members for a political party and to campaign for a political party or cause.
In addition, the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 prohibits the unlawful removal and defacing of posters published by a registered party.
NATJOINTS has urged members of the public to fact-check information first before sharing it on social media platforms.
“One of our biggest threats at the moment is fake news. We strongly condemn the spreading of fake news, unverified information, rumours or threats as this seeks to cause panic and confusion and, in some instances, incites possible violence.
“Those who are found to be sharing inflammatory messages and inciting violence will be charged accordingly. We, therefore, urge prompt reporting of these incidents to ensure that law enforcement deals with such issues,” Mosikili said.
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