IEC: All systems go for voter registration weekend

Mamabolo was addressing members of the media in Centurion, Pretoria on Wednesday. 

South Africans of voting age will have the opportunity to register or verify their details across various registration stations on the 18 and 19 November between 8am and 5pm. 

This is the IEC’s first voter registration campaign ahead of the 2024 general elections. 

In the past two weekends, the Department of Home Affairs extended its operating hours to allow citizens to collect their IDs and passports ahead of the weekend. 

The commission aims to reach about 14 million individuals who are not yet registered to vote. 

Its voters’ roll currently stands at 26.2 million, and young people in the age category 20-29 account for 3.7 million. 

“The delivery of essential voter registration material, including Voter Management Devices, stationery packs, arrow signs and document storage boxes, have been provisioned and delivery completed across all provinces,” said Mamabolo.

“Importantly, the registration process does not require the completion of forms at the stations, and therefore, the limited time will be spent at the station for actual registration.”

Mamabolo said over 50,000 of the IEC staff are unemployed persons. 

“Over 69,718 staff have been recruited and trained for this registration weekend. Out of these appointed staff, 53,028 are female, and 16,690 are male. In addition, 35,640 registration staff are under the age of 35, whilst 26,475 are between the ages of 36 and 50.”

He admitted load shedding remains a concern. 

“Load shedding is an issue of concern because it affects our business operations. However, on this occasion, we won’t be so much reliant on the day on energy supply because the VMD’s will be pre-charged, and in a full battery charge, they should be able to carry the day without the necessity for energy connections.” 

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