Voting will end at 9pm tonight with many South Africans constricted into voting at these later hours because of work or other responsibilities.
With winter in full swing, the sun will set just after 5pm in Durban, KwaZulu Natal.
As the night cloaks everything in darkness, voters may feel uneasy and fear that they may become victims of crime.
Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told IOL that South Africans should not be afraid to go out and vote at later hours.
“There are about 23,000 voting stations across the country. They have each been categorised. The majority of these voting stations are low-risk, there are also medium and high-risk ones.
“These categories are based on crime patterns and intelligence information,” she said.
Themba went on to say that each voting station will have police presence. “In low-risk areas for example there will be two police officers, in medium-risk polls, the number of officers will increase.”
She said that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will ensure that people feel safe and are protected.
“In addition to the deployment of police officers at voting stations, there is still going to be normal policing happening around the communities.
“That is why in parts of the country such as the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, there has been a deployment of police officers and they are there to assist in policing but also in any situation that could arise,” Themba said.
IOL News