Free State police have opened a theft case after dozens of Democratic Alliance campaign posters vanished from streets in Hertzogville, a probe that falls under section 72(1) of the Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000, the law the South African Police Service says makes it an offence for anyone to remove election material published by a party or candidate.
The complaint was lodged by a 44-year-old man who serves as a designated constituency officer for the DA in the Tokologo Local Municipality. According to Saps, he erected 300 campaign posters across Hertzogville and Malebogo on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. More than a month later, on 11 October, he returned to count them. Only 126 were still in place.
The count, Saps said in its statement, revealed that 174 DA campaign posters had been unlawfully removed and taken from Malebogo Street, Van Niekerk Street, Skool Street and the R708 Christiana road. Police put the value of the missing material at R32 190. A theft case has been opened and investigations are under way.
For the police, the case is also an opportunity to warn the wider public. Saps cautioned that unlawfully removing any billboard, placard or poster published by a political party or candidate for the purpose of an election is prohibited by law, that doing so contravenes the electoral code of conduct, and that individuals or parties found in contravention of the regulation under the Act could face criminal liability.
The timing matters. The municipal elections are scheduled for 4 November 2026, with special voting planned for 2 and 3 November. President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared election day a public holiday, and preparations continue against the backdrop of this and similar enforcement questions as polling day approaches.
The stakes of the contest are considerable. Figures from the Electoral Commission of South Africa indicate that nearly 29.2 million voters are registered for the municipal polls. Some 546 political parties and almost 137 000 candidates will compete for slightly more than 10 500 council seats. Of those candidates, approximately 98 000 are running for ward councillor positions, while another 38 000 are standing on the proportional representation ballot.
Voting will take place across eight metropolitan municipalities, 47 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities, making the integrity of campaign material such as posters a matter governed by the electoral statute now cited in the Hertzogville investigation. Whether the case yields arrests before polling day remains to be seen.