By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Service in Gauteng are investigating a burglary at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) provincial offices in Houghton, Johannesburg.
This comes while the IEC is preparing for next month’s hotly contested elections, on 29 May.
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says the robbery was reported to the police on Sunday afternoon.
“I can confirm that there was a business burglary reported by an IEC employee at the Houghton premises.
“The break-in was discovered at about 5.45pm, so far only a laptop belonging to an administration employee has been reported stolen.
“The police are investigating a case of business burglary,” says Muridili.
The complex has 24-hour security, and police and the IEC remain puzzled by the incident or how it might have happened.
The IEC has been dealing with a series of legal issues around the upcoming national and provincial elections next month. Recently, the commission approached the Constitutional Court to appeal the Electoral Court’s ruling that former president Jacob Zuma can stand as a candidate for his newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK Party).
This after the IEC had disqualified him on grounds of having a criminal record. The said record refers to his imprisonment in 2021 for contempt of court.
The 2024 elections are also the most hotly contested elections since South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.
The IEC offices break-in could also be linked to the overall crime in the country. An issue that has also become a problem and cause for concern with voters.