The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), Sy Mamabolo has announced that the national voters’ roll has, for the first time, surpassed the 27 million mark.
“The Commission is happy to report the achievement of two historic milestones,” he said, adding that the other was having 26.7 million voters registered for the 2019 polls.
Mamabolo outlined the commission’s plans for the upcoming voter registration weekend during a media briefing at Centurion, Pretoria on Wednesday.
The IEC will host the second national voter registration weekend, scheduled for February 3 and 4.
The first round of voter registration weekend was held on November 18 and 19.
During the briefing, Mamabolo said over 23,000 voting stations across the country will open for citizens to register or check if their details were updated.
Registration stations will operate from 8am and 5pm on both days.
“The voter Registration Weekend will have over 69,718 staff members who have been recruited and trained,” he said.
This will be the last registration as the clock ticks towards the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Citizens aged 16 and older can also register to vote, provided they have a valid South African ID or a temporary ID certificate.
The current provincial status of the voters’ roll is as follows:
Gauteng - 6,325,985
KwaZulu-Natal - 5,593,419
Eastern Cape - 3,356,891
Western Cape - 3,219,875
Limpopo - 2,729,309
Mpumalanga - 1,972,910
North West - 1,726,029
Northern Cape - 637,093
Citizens outside the country amounted to 29,318.
Last weekend, the IEC held a voter registration drive which was aimed mainly to accommodate citizens who will be voting abroad.
Mamabolo urged citizens abroad to register either online or in person at their nearest South African mission.
This included South African high commissions, embassies, and consulates.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
IOL Politics