Two Women Arrested For Allegedly Trying to Steal Voting Material At Ngcobo Police Station
Two women aged 57 and 61 have been arrested in the Eastern Cape for allegedly impersonating Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) officials and attempting to steal voting material from Ngcobo Police Station.
The suspects were arrested today, Tuesday following an incident at the police station early on Monday morning, 2 November.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, the women arrived at the station at approximately 04:30 and allegedly collected voting material, claiming they had been sent by the presiding officer.
However, the presiding officer was already at the station and had not authorised anyone to collect the material on their behalf.
Police identified the suspects before they could leave the premises and confiscated the voting material. Both women were subsequently arrested.
A case has been opened under Section 68(d) of the Electoral Act 27 of 2000, relating to impersonating an IEC official.
The IEC’s Eastern Cape Provincial Electoral Officer, Khayakazi Magudumana, confirmed the incident and said one of the suspects is a proportional representation (PR) candidate contesting the 2026 Local Government Elections in the Engcobo Municipality.
Magudumana said the two women had claimed they were collecting election material on behalf of presiding officers. However, the relevant officials confirmed that they had not authorised anyone to collect the material for them.
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Vuyisile Ncata condemned the alleged interference with the electoral process.
“We will not tolerate any interference with the electoral process. The arrest of the two suspects demonstrates our commitment to upholding the integrity of the elections. Anyone who impersonates an IEC official will face the full might of the law,” he said.
The incident comes as special voting for the 2026 Local Government Elections takes place on Monday and Tuesday, ahead of the general voting day on Wednesday, 4 November.
The IEC has confirmed that special voting is conducted at registered voting stations and through approved home visits. Election materials are distributed and secured ahead of voting.
- 2026 Local Government Elections, Eastern Cape police, election material security, Electoral Act 27 of 2000, Engcobo Municipality PR candidate, IEC official impersonation, Khayakazi Magudumana, MDNTV, mdntvlive, mdntvnews, Ngcobo Police Station, Ngcobo voting material theft, Nobuntu Gantana, two women arrested, Vuyisile Ncata
