News · Elections 2026 · Eastern Cape · Election material
Two women arrested over alleged IEC impersonation at Ngcobo police station
Police say voting material was intercepted before it left the station. The incident happened early on 2 November, before special voting opened.
Two women have been arrested for allegedly impersonating an Electoral Commission official to collect voting material from Ngcobo Police Station in the Eastern Cape, police said on Tuesday, 3 November 2026.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana’s account reported by Algoa FM, the incident occurred at about 04:30 on Monday, 2 November. The women allegedly said a presiding officer had sent them. That officer was already in the queue and had authorised no such collection.
Police said the women were identified before leaving the station and the material was confiscated. A case was opened under section 68(d) of the Municipal Electoral Act, concerning impersonation of an election official.
Reports differed on the arrest count
In a report published by SABC at 12:25 SAST, Eastern Cape electoral officer Khayakazi Magudumana described one of the women as a proportional-representation candidate in the Engcobo area. That account referred to one woman arrested and another being sought.
The NATJOINTS security briefing later on 3 November confirmed two arrests in the Ngcobo impersonation case. That later account resolves the difference in the reported arrest count.
An allegation still has to be tested
The arrests and the account of the attempted collection are allegations requiring investigation and a court process. They do not establish guilt, responsibility by a political organisation or the alteration of any vote. The available police account places the interception inside the station.
No court outcome is reported in the sources reviewed for this report. The immediate public issue is how the material was requested, who authorised its release and how the checks at the station stopped it leaving. Those questions should be answered through the investigation and its records.
For election-day arrangements, see TPR’s station, identity-document and work guide. For urgent safety concerns and official information channels, use our voter-protection guide.