KZN police investigate theft of ballot papers at voting station
The materials were reportedly left inside an unlocked guard house.
Police in KwaZulu-Natal are probing a burglary incident after sensitive ballot papers and election materials were stolen from a voting station in Hillcrest, a suburb west of Durban. The materials were reportedly left unsecured inside an unlocked guard house on Tuesday night, lacking overnight patrols or police protection. Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda stated that investigations will also determine why the election materials were delivered to the voting station one day early without a police escort.
Colonel Netshiunda mentioned that it was reported that the IEC's Presiding Officer went to the school used as the voting station, placing sensitive items like inks, voter rolls, and ballot papers inside the unlockable guard house on Tuesday evening. The Presiding Officer locked the school gate and departed. Reports suggest that a group of approximately ten individuals could observe the official's actions inside the guard house.
Upon the Presiding Officer arriving at the school on Wednesday morning, she observed that the school gate was open and individuals were standing outside. Upon entering the guard house, she discovered that the ballot papers and other IEC materials had been stolen. The matter was subsequently reported to the police.
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