Police spokesperson, Adele Myburgh, says while police cannot reveal where the hotspots are, contingency plans are in place to keep law and order as South Africans take to the poll in the embattled province on Wednesday 8 May. It has been reported that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the province has identified 79 hotspots in the North West on the back of violent service delivery protests that flared up recently.

In mid-April 2018, unrest erupted in the province’s capital, Mahikeng, with residents calling for the then North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo’s head following the Mediosa mobile clinic scandal, amongst others. Several vehicles, as well as the Mmabana Community Centre, were torched while the shopping complex Mega City was also vandalised in the protests, resulting in scores of protesters being arrested for public violence. President Cyril Ramaphosa cut his trip to the United Kingdom short in an effort to address the people’s concerns.

Prior to Mahumapelo’s resignation, cabinet invoked Section 100(1) of the Constitution, placing the whole province under national care. Later on, it would be decided that the Office of the Premier as well as five provincial departments – including the strained Health Department and the Department of Education and Sports Development – would all be placed under full administration while five other departments - including the Departments of Finance, Economy and Enterprise - continued to operate under the management of the team of ministers tasked with stabilising the province. It has been reported that some of the departments are struggling to implement the turnaround strategies and that it will take time, years even, to turn service delivery in the province around.

OFM News