Today and tomorrow are the final days for millions of eligible voters to register and update their address details – or they will not be able to vote in the local elections.
President Jacob Zuma ann-ounced this week that August 3 will be the municipal election day.
There are 22617 voting stations nationwide, which will open between 8am and 5pm today and tomorrow to ensure voters are ready to participate in the municipal elections.
Eastern Cape IEC commissioner, Thami Mraji, said there were 4699 voting stations in the province, an increase of 21 stations compared to last year.
“This will be the final opportunity for eligible voters to register in person at the voting station located where they ordinarily reside.
“Also, this is an opportunity for voters to confirm and update their details and address,” said Mraji.
“With the election date having been announced by the President, it is a matter of time before it is proclaimed and when the date is gazetted, no more registrations will take place,” added Mraji.
In an effort to ensure eligible voters meet all requirements when they go and vote, the commission sent out SMSes to 5.3 million registered voters whose address details are not on the roll.
The initiative follows a Constitutional Court finding in the Tlokwe matter in November that a voter’s address or sufficient details of a place of residence are essential to ensure the voter is registered in the correct voting district.
The SMSes inform voters that no address is currently available for them in the Electoral Commission’s records and urges citizens to visit their voting station this weekend to update their address details.
The message reads: “Dear voter, the IEC does not have an address for you. visit your voting station between 8am and 5pm on April 9 and 10 to update your details.”
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said records showed that the last registration weekend in March helped reduce the number of votes without address details from eight million to 6.92 million voters.
“The Electoral Commission was only able to source cellphone numbers for 5.3 million of the 6.92 million voters for whom we do not have addresses,” Bapela added.
The commission hopes that many new voters will join the existing 25.6 million registered voters to boost the voters’ roll above its current level of 75% of the eligible voting population.
Statistics show that approximately 80% (6.4 million) of eight million unregistered voters are younger than 30.
More than three million South African voters visited their voting stations during the March registration weekend to either register for the first time, re-register or update their registration and address details. This included almost 700000 new voters.
“It is hoped at least a similar number will register this weekend,” Mraji said, after the first registration weekend saw the provincial roll grow to 3.2-million registered voters.
“This figure put this province in the third best position , with more than 90000 new voters.”
He said their target was to register 80% of eligible voters, but the first registration weekend was affected by service delivery protests, which saw a number of arrests, including:
l An IEC banner was removed in Mnquma by community members and;
lAt Keilands mission, IEC material including a scanner were burnt.
Mraji said anyone found guilty of breaking the law in a voting station “will be fined”.
“The possibility of community protests that may occur is being monitored and there are systems in place for any eventuality,” said Mraji.
Crunch time for eight million still to register
President Jacob Zuma ann-ounced this week that August 3 will be the municipal election day.
There are 22617 voting stations nationwide, which will open between 8am and 5pm today and tomorrow to ensure voters are ready to participate in the municipal elections.
Eastern Cape IEC commissioner, Thami Mraji, said there were 4699 voting stations in the province, an increase of 21 stations compared to last year.
“This will be the final opportunity for eligible voters to register in person at the voting station located where they ordinarily reside.
“Also, this is an opportunity for voters to confirm and update their details and address,” said Mraji.
“With the election date having been announced by the President, it is a matter of time before it is proclaimed and when the date is gazetted, no more registrations will take place,” added Mraji.
In an effort to ensure eligible voters meet all requirements when they go and vote, the commission sent out SMSes to 5.3 million registered voters whose address details are not on the roll.
The initiative follows a Constitutional Court finding in the Tlokwe matter in November that a voter’s address or sufficient details of a place of residence are essential to ensure the voter is registered in the correct voting district.
The SMSes inform voters that no address is currently available for them in the Electoral Commission’s records and urges citizens to visit their voting station this weekend to update their address details.
The message reads: “Dear voter, the IEC does not have an address for you. visit your voting station between 8am and 5pm on April 9 and 10 to update your details.”
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said records showed that the last registration weekend in March helped reduce the number of votes without address details from eight million to 6.92 million voters.
“The Electoral Commission was only able to source cellphone numbers for 5.3 million of the 6.92 million voters for whom we do not have addresses,” Bapela added.
The commission hopes that many new voters will join the existing 25.6 million registered voters to boost the voters’ roll above its current level of 75% of the eligible voting population.
Statistics show that approximately 80% (6.4 million) of eight million unregistered voters are younger than 30.
More than three million South African voters visited their voting stations during the March registration weekend to either register for the first time, re-register or update their registration and address details. This included almost 700000 new voters.
“It is hoped at least a similar number will register this weekend,” Mraji said, after the first registration weekend saw the provincial roll grow to 3.2-million registered voters.
“This figure put this province in the third best position , with more than 90000 new voters.”
He said their target was to register 80% of eligible voters, but the first registration weekend was affected by service delivery protests, which saw a number of arrests, including:
l An IEC banner was removed in Mnquma by community members and;
lAt Keilands mission, IEC material including a scanner were burnt.
Mraji said anyone found guilty of breaking the law in a voting station “will be fined”.
“The possibility of community protests that may occur is being monitored and there are systems in place for any eventuality,” said Mraji.
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