RECOMMENDED are the youth who have increased the number of people registered to vote in the country as it is being considered for the local government elections on November 4, 2026. We have increased to 27.9 million, the number of people who have registered to vote in the country and this has been done by registering 376,000 people, from January to May this year.
This was revealed by the chief executive officer of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Sy Mamabolo yesterday, when campaigns were launched to encourage people to vote.
Mamabolo, who disclosed these figures in Midrand, said that in the 2024 election, 27.6 million people were on the voting list.
“There are different campaigns involving visits to institutions of higher education that have reached almost 97,000 students. Of these, 45,000 have been registered to vote. This campaign is bearing fruit as we are looking for young people in the elections,” he said.
He said that the number of those on the voting list is increasing, every year 34,000 people are removed from the list due to death. He praised the technology-based registration system that is registering many young people.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Mosotho Moepya, said it is important not to spread lies about the election so that people go out and vote.
He warned that although social media is good, there are also those who distribute things that are not there.
“These untrue things about the election can cause doubts among many people. They can make the public lose confidence in the election and also put the reputation of the commission at risk,” he said.
And Mamabolo echoed Moepya’s words and said that nonsense should not be spread on social media about the election. The commission has launched various programs to persuade people to vote as there will be a television programme, which will air on SABC on June 3, 2026.
The program isBeats for My Peepswill air at 6 pm on SABC 1. There is a podcast on YouTube about the election.
Mamabolo said that 64,000 people contacted the Contact Center about the election.
People, especially those who will be voting for the first time, have been urged to use the weekend of June 20 and 21, to register or look for those who have changed their place of residence. The offices of the Ministry of Home Affairs will be open this weekend to help those who will be punching ID cards to vote.