IEC ready to print ballot for May 29 elections

The IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, briefed the media on Tuesday. 

South Africans will vote on 29 May, and Mamabolo said the IEC had made substantial progress in preparing for the national and provincial elections. 

Mamabolo said all candidates contesting elections have now been confirmed.

"On April 12, the commission issued certificates to the 14,889 candidates who will contest 887 seats in the forthcoming elections. Nominations of candidates closed on 8 March 2024, and following processes of verifications and objections, 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates were published as final contestants in these elections.

“Fifteen political parties are contesting all tiers of the elections, which means the compensatory seats in the National Assembly, the nine province-to-national elections, as well as the nine provincial legislatures. A total of 31 political parties will contest the national elections for the first time.”

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Mamabolo revealed that some 58% of the candidates are men, with women at 41%. 

“Notably, 15 candidates who are 18 years old are also first-time voters. Of the 15, nine are female, and six are male. These candidates are spread across eight political parties. There are 17 candidates who are 80 years old and older. The majority of 162 are male candidates standing for four political parties, leaving only one female candidate in the age category.

“On gender representation, 15 political parties have a female representation of 50% and above. Seven parties achieved a 40%, and a further 14 parties have a 30% female representation on their lists.”

Mamabolo said 95% of the elections' logistical supplies are ready. 

“We are in the process of distributing 1 873 tonnes of material between our different warehousing and storage facilities across the country.”