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IEC postpones voter registration weekend amid COVID-19 third wave

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The Electoral Commission (IEC) has pushed back the upcoming voter registration by two weeks, following the rise in COVID-19 infection numbers in the country fueled by the third wave of the novel coronavirus.

The country’s electoral management body announced the decision via a media statement on Wednesday afternoon.

“The Commission confirms that it has postponed the registration from the 17th and 18th of July to 31 July to 1 of August,” says IEC Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sy Mamabolo .

Mamabolo says the decision came as a necessity after being advised by health experts who foresee the month of July as a high infection risk period.

Voters are now expected to register on the last weekend of July, from July 31 to August 1, 2021.

This decision comes as uncertainty around the actual date (October 27) of the elections , which can be impacted by retired Deputy Chief Justice, Dikgang Moseneke’s inquiry looking at whether the upcoming local government elections will be held in a free, safe and fair environment, at a time pronounced by president Cyril Ramaphosa earlier in the year.

Recently, some political parties have also called for the upcoming Local Government Elections to be postponed amid concerns of South Africa’s battle with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the statement released by the commission it says that the postponement could have a knock-on effect on certain dates and activities
associated with the proclamation and election including delaying proclamation by four days until 6 August.

For more on this, see the full statement below:

 

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