(Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
Voter registration weekend for the local elections in November kicked off mostly without incident at the country’s 23,706 polling stations on Saturday.
Moreover, according to the Election Commission (ECC), almost all polling stations opened on time. In places where polling stations did not open at 08:00, the delays were attributed to protests by communities.
The IEC expressed its thanks to the 48,212 electoral officers who reported to ensure that registration operations could start as planned. Polling stations are open on Saturday and Sunday from 08:00 to 17:00.
By early Saturday afternoon, more than 330,000 applications for registration had already been processed. Of these, 30 were online applications.
KwaZulu-Natal (also the most densely populated province) had the most applications, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
According to the IEC, at this stage it appears that most applicants are young voters.
The IEC’s contact center has helped with more than 640 direct inquiries since Saturday morning, while there have been 221 interactions on the commission’s social media platforms.
South Africans must vote in the upcoming election in the voting district where they are registered and nowhere else. Voters need a valid ID (green ID books, smart ID, or temporary ID certificate) and the Department of Home Affairs remains open to help people with this.
Although proof of address is not a requirement for registration, according to the IEC, an address helps to classify voters correctly.
In addition to this weekend’s voter registration, no other date for another registration weekend has yet been announced. The online portal for registration does remain active until midnight on the day of the election. After this, the online process closes and no further updates are made.
The IEC expressed its gratitude to political parties, community leaders, civil rights groups, traditional leaders, security companies and all other role players who support the registration process.
“The commission also thanks the many South Africans who have participated in the registration process since this morning. The turnout recorded so far reflects an encouraging commitment to democratic participation.”
Make sure
Registered voters are also encouraged to check their details online. This can be done through the IEC’s app, or by calling the contact center on 0800 11 8000 or texting their ID number to 32810.