Police are investigating two separate deaths reported at election venues in Mpumalanga and Limpopo following South Africa’s 2026 local government elections.
In Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, a 57-year-old man was shot dead outside a voting station in Boikhutso in the early hours of Thursday, while in Polokwane, Limpopo, a deceased person believed to be an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member was found at Flora Park Comprehensive School voting station.
The two incidents have raised concerns about safety at election venues as political parties and their supporters await the finalisation of results.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga, the 57-year-old man was shot at approximately 12.15 am on November 5.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli said the deceased was among a group of people celebrating outside the voting station while waiting for the counting process to be concluded and the results announced.
It is alleged that two unidentified men emerged and opened fire on the group before fleeing the scene.
After the shooting, those present realised that one of the people had been hit.
A family member rushed the victim to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
The man sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Police have opened a murder case, but the motive for the shooting remains unknown. No arrests had been made at the time of publication.
In a separate incident in Limpopo, a deceased person, believed to be an EFF member, was found at Flora Park Comprehensive School voting station in Polokwane on Thursday morning.
Preliminary reports indicate that a confrontation involving members of different political parties had taken place at the venue.
However, the circumstances surrounding the death have not yet been established, and it remains unclear whether the confrontation was directly linked to the death.
Police are expected to investigate the incident to establish what happened, including the identity of the deceased and whether any criminal activity was involved.
There is no confirmation at this stage that the two deaths are connected or that either incident was directly related to the election process.
The Bushbuckridge killing comes against the backdrop of several security incidents reported during the special voting period and on election day.
On November 3, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) reported that 21 case dockets had been registered since the start of special voting on November 2.
The cases included murder, theft, intimidation, arson, assault and the destruction or defacing of election material.
Six suspects had been arrested at the time of the briefing, while five cases had already been processed in court.
Among the incidents reported in Mpumalanga was the arrest of an EFF candidate accused of damaging electoral material at the Phake Rankaile voting district in Ward 30.
Other incidents included the arrest of a suspect in connection with the alleged destruction of election material in Mmametlake and another arrest for malicious damage to property in Pienaar.
KwaZulu-Natal also experienced a serious security incident during the special voting period, when a uMkhonto weSizwe Party regional leader was killed. Authorities said investigations into the killing were continuing.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise, has ordered the mobilisation of all available police resources to ensure that those responsible for the Bushbuckridge shooting are arrested.
Mdhluli appealed to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact their nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Information can also be submitted anonymously through the MySAPS application.
As investigations continue in both provinces, police are expected to establish whether the incidents were criminal in nature and determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Authorities have not established a political motive in either case.
